Twinkle Toes
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: Fed up with the hockey team's behavior, Coach Samuels enrolls the team in dance lessons to teach them discipline. But how will Derek react when their dance instructor is none other than Casey? And when all the guys begin falling for her, including him? I deleted my original and am revamping this with new, edited, and improved chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I originally wrote this story several years ago. It, like many others of mine, fell between the cracks. I promised you all I would update and finish it and I never did. You didn't deserve that. My readers are wonderful and you deserve so much more than what I gave you. I won't sit here and give you excuses, though I have many that are genuine. I will instead, put my energy into showing you how sorry I am for letting this story fall between the cracks and make it up to you. I deleted the original and am revamping it by editing it and expanding it. My writing has, I hope, improved over the years and I want it to show in my new version of this story. I hope you do choose to read it, and that you will stick with me. Again, I apologize.**

**To my Degrassi fandom readers, I am sorry but I will work on updating those stories I promised you I would a few weeks ago. I just needed to step back and clear my head a bit from the fandom and work on something new for awhile. I'll work on my Degrassi updates more after I work on this first chapter. I am planning three updates tonight between this story and my Degrassi stuff so bear with me. I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek.**

**Chapter One****  
**

It was a pretty sorry sight. The Thompson High hockey team sat on the benches of the gym locker room sporting their fresh bruises, black eyes, and bloody noses. Another fight had broken out during their game after Tommy Thatcher made a foul play. Usually the fights that did break out were between Thompson High and the rival team. Not this one though. This fight had broken out among the Thompson players. Coach Samuels entered the locker room, clipboard in hand, scowling. He didn't know what had happened to his team. Their behavior had been completely unacceptable and he was not going to stand for it. He waited a moment before speaking, standing in front of his team and looking over their injuries. It had been a bad fight, but if they thought they could get out of this without their egos taking a beating as well, they were very wrong.

Coach Samuels cleared his throat, "Boys, you all know why I called you in here. The behavior you displayed on the ice tonight was deplorable."

"Coach, if Thatcher hadn't…"

"Did I ask for your two cents, Venturi?" Coach snapped, "The point is, this is a team. A team is like a machine. When one part doesn't work right, nothing works right. If one member suffers, we all suffer. That's what a team is, fellas. Now, I personally would kick off all of you that fought today but considering that means kicking off the whole team, I can't. What I can do is make sure that you boys pay for what you did tonight. Yeah, we won. Big deal. So what? We still have five games until the championship. Do you guys want that? Sure you do. But let me tell you somethin' fellas. We sure as hell aren't gonna win the championship with you acting like this! So tomorrow morning at seven, I want all of you here to run drills until you can learn to properly work together as a team…"

"But tomorrow's Saturday…"

"Venturi, if you don't shut your mouth I am going to walk over there and shut it for you, understand me?"

"Yes sir." Derek Venturi shut up faster than Coach Samuels had ever seen him do so before, and he could tell that his ego was smarting like the black eye he was sporting. _Good, _Coach thought to himself, _he may be my center, and the best player on this team but he has a hell of a lot to learn. _

"Now everyone, meet up here at seven. If anyone is late, you will run laps for however many minutes you are late by. If you are five minutes late, you run five laps around the football field, clear?"

"Yes sir," the team mumbled.

"Now get your sorry John Brown hind parts outta here before I make you run laps right now!" Coach shouted as the boys slowly grabbed their bags and hobbled out of the locker room.

"Venturi, come here!"

"Sir?"

"You may be the captain but I am the coach, understand me? That means no more of this going behind my back stuff. You don't make your own plays, you follow mine. There is no 'I' in team son. You better learn to work with your teammates as well as your coach or you can kiss your Center position goodbye and say hello to the bench."

"Yes sir," Derek grumbled, annoyed.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, boy! You just earned yourself five laps tomorrow, got me?"

"Yes sir," Derek sighed.

"Now get out of here. I don't want to see your sorry face until seven o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir," Derek limped over to the door when Coach stopped him.

"And Venturi…"

"Coach?"

"Put some ice on that eye tonight."

Derek hobbled out of the locker room. It wasn't just his eye that had been hurt. His pride had also taken a good beating from what Coach Samuels had said. Sighing, Derek made his way to the parking lot where he knew his family would be waiting. He could already see the look on his dad and Nora's faces. Wincing, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for more yelling and lectures.

"What were you thinking, Derek?" George shouted as soon as his son was in sight.

"Now George," Nora intervened, "Let's not get carried away. I'll handle this. _Derek what the heck were you thinking_!"

"I dunno," Derek grumbled. He had already been lectured by the coach and he did not need the same thing from his family. If anything, he just wanted to go home and get a hot shower and go to bed and try his best to forget everything that had happened that night. Unfortunately, they were not about to just drop the subject.

"That is _not_ an answer," Nora crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

"Tommy made a bad play…"

"So you shoved him," Casey said flatly.

"I don't need this from you, _Spacey_!" Derek shouted, "I don't need this from anyone!"

"Derek…" George called after him. Derek was already storming off as fast as his limping legs could take him. He knew he had really screwed up tonight, but couldn't they see he already knew that? It didn't take much for his family to catch up to him. Derek sighed. He knew walking off wasn't going to help the situation any. _Damn it, Venturi. Why don't you just think before you do stuff, huh? If you only just thought about things you wouldn't be in half the messes you find yourself in. _

"Derek," George said sternly, "Derek! Don't you walk away from me!" George grabbed him by the leather jacket, "I am talking to you!"

Derek paused in his tracks. He inhaled, working up what little courage and pride he had left in him to turn and look his father in the eye. When he did, he didn't like what he saw. He had a habit of pissing people off, but normally he could just talk his way out of it with a smirk or a joke. Not this time though. George Venturi looked genuinely infuriated – an emotion Derek had no idea his father was capable of.

"Look," George sighed. He felt bad for yelling at Derek like this. He probably had already gotten an earful from his coach, but that didn't excuse the way he was acting, "this is the third fight you've gotten into this season. I am sick of it, Derek. There is no excuse for this. None. Your behavior is unacceptable – on the ice and off. You're grounded."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He knew better than to have said it, and the second it slipped out, he wanted to take it back. The vein in George's forehead pulsated slightly and Derek hoped his stupid mouth hadn't given his father an aneurysm. But he was fed up. He was fed up with the players on the hockey team and he was fed up with Coach Samuels. And for the first time, Derek was genuinely fed up with his family. Didn't they know to just leave him alone?

"You just bought yourself another week!"

Derek could feel the blood fizzle and turn to soda within his veins. His face was hot with flush, either from embarrassment or anger – he wasn't sure which, and he realized that his hands were clenched into fists. _Don't say it, _Derek pleaded with himself, _don't you dare say it, Venturi!_

"Why don't you just go to hell?"

_Nice going, asshole. _Derek inwardly winced. He wished he could take it back. He hated that he had said that to his father. Where had that even come from anyway? Pain in his hands reminded him that his fists were clenched and he quickly relaxed his hands. It took all the courage he could muster to glance at his father. When he did, he regretted it. For a fraction of a second, a pained look crossed his dad's face and Derek swore it looked as though he had been slapped in the face. The look was brief though, and quickly replaced with flaring red cheeks and that pulsing vein.

"What did you just say to me?" George roared, "That's another week, pal."

"Fine, _pal_," Derek jerked out of his father's grip and stormed over to The Prince. No one bothered to follow after him. Once inside the car, he turned the key in the ignition and skidded out of the parking lot, tires piercingly shrieking. Derek could just about give himself a second black eye for what he had done. He had never in his whole life spoken to his father like that and it killed him that he had – especially that he had in front of his family. He had barely seen it due to being so preoccupied in his yelling match with his father, but he had seen it nonetheless. Marti had ducked behind Casey. Derek squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears threatened to spill. It felt as though he had been punched in the gut. A loud honk jerked him from his thoughts and Derek swerved The Prince quickly, seconds before almost hitting a Pickup.

"God damn it!" Derek slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

Derek knew he couldn't go home until he was positive everyone had gone to bed. There was no way he could face them just yet. He hadn't gone anywhere in particular, just drove around. It was late when he did get home – one in the morning to be exact. He threw his key into the catchall and was in the process of hanging up his coat when Casey took it upon herself to ask him where he had been.

"Damn it, Casey!" Derek jumped, "Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack or something?"

"No," Casey put down her book, and something Derek didn't quite recognize crossed her face. He rolled his eyes and headed over to the couch where she was sitting. The book on her lap was the same one she had read a dozen other times. The cover was all beat up and the pages worn and bent. _Someone really should buy her a new copy._

"It's late. Go to bed," Derek said, standing over her.

"I couldn't sleep," Casey lied. Truth was, she had stayed up waiting for him to come home. It always worried her when he stormed off and didn't come home until late at night. He always came in safe and sound eventually, but this time had really scared her. Derek and George had never fought like that before, and in all honesty, Casey wasn't too sure if Derek would come home. She would never admit it, but she had practically jumped up from the couch when she had heard the garage door rattle open.

"Whatever," Derek rolled his eyes.

To Casey's surprise, Derek plopped down into his chair. She put her book down on the coffee table and turned to face him, curling her legs up under her.

"George is really mad…"

"_I don't need this from you!_" Derek hissed, running a hand through his hair.

"He hates fights."

"I know."

"So do I."

"_I know!_"

"Okay," Casey grabbed her book and began to read some more.

"This isn't fair," Derek finally said after a moment of awkward silence between them. Casey closed her book once more and looked up at him, "It isn't!" Derek enthused, "I mean if Tommy hadn't made that bad play…and now I have to be there at seven o'clock in the morning to run laps and do drills."

"What did you do?" Casey asked, familiar with Coach Samuel's punishment of making his boys run laps. Derek always had to run laps. It was usually because of that mouth of his.

"Talked back."

"Why?"

"He threatened to give me bench duty for the rest of the season. It's like, doesn't he realize that this is the most important season? Championships are five games away and there will be scouts at that game! Scouts, Casey!" Again, Derek ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"But he didn't give you bench duty yet. Just do what he says from now on and…"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Derek snapped, "This is my chance at proving myself to those universities."

"Universities don't want to take players who fight with their own teammates."

"All I did was shove him," Derek grumbled almost inaudibly.

"And he shoved you back and then you punched him."

"He deserved it," Derek insisted.

"Did he, Derek? Was it Coach's game plan to have everyone pass the puck to you? Or was it yours? Maybe Tommy was just doing what Coach told him to do, pass it to Sam."

"Sam isn't the captain."

"He deserves to be," Casey said.

"What did you just say?" Derek snapped, his eyes cold.

"I said that Sam deserves to be captain. He wouldn't go behind Coach's back like you do. He wouldn't start fights after a game. He wouldn't…"

"Shut up, Casey!" Derek shouted, then lowered his voice in hopes of not waking up the rest of the family, "I don't need this from you."

"Alright, go to bed then," Casey said coolly. She knew she probably shouldn't have brought up Sam being captain like she had. Derek didn't need to hear that at all, much less at that moment. It pained her that she had said something so insensitive towards him.

"I'm not tired. You go to bed."

"I'm not either," Casey paused, racking her brain for a way to make it up to Derek at least somehow. Finally she asked, "Do you want me to fix you some cocoa?"

"Does it _look_ like I want you to fix me some cocoa?" Derek asked, his voice clipped.

Casey let a small smile lift at the corners of her lips, and made her way to the kitchen knowing very well that meant 'yes' in Derek-speak.

**Author's Note: So what do you think? Leave a review and let me know! Also, I am sorry if Derek's behavior seems a little OOC, but I will explain it more in future chapters. I hope you enjoyed! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Casey tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel as she hummed along to whatever song was playing on the radio. Derek was slumped in the passenger seat, his forehead cradled in his hand. She felt bad for him, she really did. She had woken up that morning at six as usual and had gone downstairs to fix her usual scrambled egg whites and berry smoothie breakfast. No one had said anything and the house had been eerily quiet. The tension felt like a heavy and humid fog clinging to them. When Derek came downstairs, the tension had worsened.

"Derek," George folded and set the newspaper he had been reading on the counter, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Dad."

Their voices had been calm and level but there was a hint of anger still clinging to them as they spoke to each other. Casey had kept her head down and stirred the eggs in the skillet and Nora had made up some story about having to go and take the sheets off the bed so she could start some laundry. At six fifteen in the morning.

"Casey," upon hearing George say her name, Casey had practically dropped the spatula into the skillet. She wanted to just stay out of whatever was going on between George and Derek.

"Mmhmm?" She'd responded nervously, hoping she wouldn't be dragged into anything.

"Since Derek is grounded for the next couple of weeks, you will be the sole driver of The Prince. I know he has to be at the school soon, but if you drive him to and from practice today, I will be more than fine with taking over your chores for today."

Casey turned to her stepdad. He had been looking at her hopefully and she didn't know how to possibly say no to him. Derek on the other hand had been glaring daggers at her as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. _If looks could kill…_Casey had mused.

"Um…sure. No problem."

"Thank you so much, Casey," George sighed, relieved, "Nora and I are going to the grocery store this afternoon. Is there anything you two want us to pick up for you?"

"I'm fine," Casey turned back to her eggs.

"Derek?" George had asked, his voice sounded as though it was treading water.

Derek hadn't said anything. Instead, he grabbed his bowl of cereal and headed to the living room. He plopped down in his recliner and began shoveling the chocolaty cereal into his mouth. George sighed and had ran a hand though his hair in a way that reminded Casey very much of Derek.

They had eaten their breakfast in silence. Even after breakfast and halfway through the ride to the school, there was still silence between them except for the radio and Casey's humming. She knew she needed to tread carefully around Derek. Normally she would say something to get under his skin. When they fought, things were just easy. But she knew better than to provoke him right now.

"What time do I have to pick you up?" She asked carefully.

"Probably five," Derek grumbled. He knew none of this was Casey's fault, but he couldn't help but feel slightly irked at her. Not only had his dad taken his car, but he had given it to Casey instead. Sure, the car was theirs to share, but it was still a low blow to Derek, "Do you _have _to do that?" he snapped.

"Do what?"

"Hum."

"No," Casey said, stopping. The fact that she had stopped surprised Derek. Normally she would have kept it up just to spite him. He was taken back for a second before regaining his sour composure and saying –

"And do you have to listen to this station?"

"No," Casey said, turning off the radio.

The car was completely silent. Derek hated silence. After a few moments, he couldn't take it anymore, "Fine! Turn your damn music back on!"

"You don't have to shout," Casey pointed out quietly.

It wasn't long before The Prince turned into the gymnasium parking lot. Casey swung her door open and hopped out of the car. Derek wasn't far behind.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to ask Coach how late it will be."

"I told you."

"You don't know for sure," Casey protested.

She followed Derek into the gym. Coach was in his office. She knocked softly on the door. Upon seeing her, he put down his clipboard and waved her in.

"Casey, come in," Coach Samuels said warmly, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Coach," Casey smiled, "I was wondering what time practice will be over today? Derek's grounded and I have to drop him off and pick him up."

"And what are you being punished for, having to drive him around?"

"Well, Derek's dad said if I drove him to practice he'd take care of my chores for the day so it isn't all bad. I like getting to drive for a change."

"Oh, well I still apologize for your inconvenience."

"It's okay, I'll live," Casey smiled, "But I do need to know what time drills will be over."

"About three. I decided I'll let him off easy this time. I don't want to wear them out before next Friday."

"Three?" Casey's eyes widened and her face paled.

"Is that a problem?"

"I can't pick him up then. I have dance lessons. I thought maybe…I just assumed he would get out after three."

"Oh, well I am sure your teacher would understand if you were a few minutes late…"

"Coach, I am the teacher. I teach the beginners class on Saturday afternoons for some extra money."

"You teach?" Coach Samuels raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Casey beamed. She seemed to blossom at the mention of dance, "I love it. The little girls are all so sweet. Personally, I think every little girl should take ballet. It teaches them teamwork, poise, grace, self-confidence – every valuable skill a girl needs to know."

"Teamwork? Poise? Grace? Self-confidence?"

"Yeah," Casey nodded, "I just can't be late for my class."

"What time does your class start again?"

"Three."

Coach Samuels sighed as if he was trying not to outwardly show he was already regretting the decision he was about to make, "I can take him home if you'd like."

"Coach, I couldn't ask that of you," Casey shook her head, "I already feel bad you have to coach him!" Coach Samuels laughed at that.

"It is a challenge," he nodded, "But I manage. Besides, I couldn't have you miss your class."

"Thank you, so much Coach Samuels," Casey smiled, "It means a lot to me."

"Just get out of here before I change my mind."

"Oh, if he causes you any problems, just make him walk home," Casey added quickly before scurrying out of his office. Coach Samuels chuckled and shook his head. He didn't know what had come over him, but he didn't want Casey McDonald to miss her dance class. _Dance, eh? _Coach shook his head again as he gathered his clipboard and whistle from his desk.

The hockey team was standing outside, already lined up at the track when Coach approached them. They were dead silent, none of them wanted to say anything to each other. Coach could tell they were all still sour from the night before. They looked like a mess, all beat up and bruised. At least they would be a sight for the rival team on Friday.

"Alright boys," Coach announced, "Now that everyone is here, I want you all to run five laps around the track, then get your butts into the locker room and get suited up to run drills," he blew his whistle, "Go!"

After running laps, they team jogged back into the hockey stadium and towards the locker rooms. It was still silent. The only exchanges any of them made were to glower at each other. Coach rolled his eyes as he watched their interactions from his office. It was definitely time for a change. After everyone had suited up, he led them all out onto the ice.

"I want you guys to show me how you can work as a team," Derek had been standing off to the side from the rest of the team and when Coach Samuels mentioned working together as a team, he glared at Derek. Derek rolled his eyes and skated over to the group, sweat beading around his forehead and upper lip, "Venturi, you, Thatcher, Mills, Erickson, Smith, and Fouler that side of the ice!"

"But Coach, I don't work well with any of them!" Derek protested.

"You will work well with them or you're off the team!" Coach shouted, "Everyone else, opposite side of the ice. You _will_ work well with each other!"

Coach sat on the side and watched the teams begin to play. He couldn't help but recall what Casey had said about teamwork, poise, and grace. That was just what his boys needed if they wanted to win the championship. _But that's ridiculous;_he thought to himself, _my boys would never take ballet. Not if I paid each one a thousand dollars. Especially Derek. That boy sure is a piece of work. Maybe ballet will bring him back down to size…_

A loud "thud" interrupted his thoughts. Coach looked up to see Aaron Erickson and Derek Venturi. Derek had Aaron pinned to plastic wall the encircled the rink and was in the process of yelling at him.

"I told you to pass the puck to me!"

"Venturi!" Coach shouted, "Let him go!"

"I told you to pass the puck to me!"

"Venturi! In my office! _Now!_"

Derek threw Aaron to the ground and skated off the ice. Coach Samuels sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _These boys are going to give me ulcers, _he shook his head. After leading Derek into his office, Coach told him to shut the door.

"I _will_ kick you off my team," Coach assured him, "You can be positive that I will unless you straighten out your attitude."

"I told him to pass me the puck."

"Derek," Coach rubbed his hands across his face in frustration, "When I made you captain of the team when you were in grade ten, I got a lot of flack for it. Underclassmen are not ever considered team captains. But I saw something in you – something I didn't see in any of my other players at the time. You've been my captain ever since. I know it wasn't easy for you. The other boys weren't too pleased with my decision, were they?"

Derek shook his head, thinking back to the time the grade twelve players had jumped him after school the day he was announced as captain. He still had a scar on his forehead from where a class ring had collided above his brow, "We all have to pay our dues," Derek shrugged nonchalantly.

"You had it tougher than most. It wasn't right what you went through, but I think it helped you grow and be a better captain. You have a good head on your shoulders, Venturi. I have _never_ once regretted my decision to make you my team captain…until yesterday."

Derek winced.

"That stunt you pulled last night is something I am not going to be able to easily forgive. As the captain, it is your responsibility to keep the team in line but attitude reflects leadership. You got a bad attitude, Venturi. No one wants to listen to you. I think I have a solution to the problem. Get your sorry behind out on that ice and I'll make the announcement. You might not like it, you might not want to do it, but I can assure you, Venturi, that if you don't do it, you will no longer be captain."

"Yes sir," Derek stood to head out back to the ice when Coach stopped him.

"And Ventrui?"

"Sir?"

"Don't you _ever_ make me regret my decision again."

The team was sitting on the bleachers when Derek and Coach came back into the rink. Sam was currently comforting Aaron who was still pretty shaken up after Derek's little outburst. Derek rolled his eyes. _Stupid Erickson. _

"Alright fellas, I have an announcement. Now, I think I know what your problem is. The thing is, you guys don't have teamwork, poise, and grace…"

"Coach, we aren't ballerinas!" Derek interrupted.

"Funny you should say that, Venturi. Now, in order to make you guys have teamwork, poise, and grace, I am enrolling you in a dance class."

"What?" The team shouted in unison. A few other grumbles and curses ensued.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Coach talked over the grumbling, "Now, if you do not wish to be a part of this, I will kick you off the team. That is the ultimatum. You understand me?"

A few, "Yes sirs" resounded.

"Who's gonna teach us…_you_?" Tommy Thatcher demanded.

"No," Coach shook his head, "But I have a little lady in mind."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"You cannot be serious," Derek grumbled on the way home from drills. He hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of Coach giving him a ride and he wasn't entirely sure which was worse – Coach or Casey but he decided he'd much rather ride with Coach than walk. He was still fuming about the ballet lessons as they headed to the McDonald-Venturi house.

"Oh I am," Coach Samuels smirked, "Now it's the third house on the left, right?"

"Yeah," Derek pouted. He didn't understand why the whole universe was against him. He wanted to throw his hands in the air and ask if it could possibly get any worse, but he didn't want anything to take that as a challenge.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Coach Samuels asked as he pulled the car into the driveway.

"What for?" Derek demanded.

"I need to talk to your sister."

"Marti?"

"Casey. She'll be home in fifteen minutes, right?"

"Yeah," Derek shot his coach a look. _How does he know what time the Space Case is going to be home? And why does he want to talk to her in the first place? That's the last thing I need, Coach and Casey conspiring against me. Hell, my dad could join in and it can be a whole "Down With Derek" party. I'll supply the pizza and party hats._ "Why?"

"I just need to talk to her."

"What'd you want to talk to her for?"

"I have a favor to ask. Is she busy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays?"

"No," Derek shook his head, "Mondays are her dance lessons and then Saturday she teaches."

"Great," Coach smiled.

"Why?" Derek had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something about the way Coach smiled was making him uneasy.

"I don't see how that's any of your concern," Coach smirked.

"She's my stepsister. I'm concerned."

"Alright," Coach sighed, as if it was going out of his way to tell Derek, "I need to ask her a favor. I need to ask her if she can come to practice those days and teach you boys ballet."

"Oh hell no!" Derek shouted, louder than Coach expected. He turned off the ignition and glanced around, hoping none of Derek's neighbors were outside and could hear his outburst.

"Derek…"

"She cann_ot _teach us ballet!"

"I don't see why not?"

"Because, number one, I refuse to learn ballet from her. Number two, the guys love her. They think she's…_pretty_," Derek choked on the last word, "And I know them. I know what they are like and I just don't want them around her."

"So you do care!" Coach grinned.

"No," Derek shook his head, "I don't _care_ I am just…concerned."

"Why?"

"Because," Derek threw open his door before Coach could say another word. They headed up the walk to the front door and Derek dug around for his key. _There is no way in hell Case can teach us ballet. It's just not going to happen. It cannot happen. Maybe…maybe she'll say no. Surely she wouldn't agree to something so…stupid. She's a nutcase, but she isn't an idiot. She'd have to be an idiot for agreeing to something so absolutely stupid! _

He unlocked the front door and swung it open, "Can I get you anything?" Derek asked Coach.

"No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Coach Samuels? George appeared from the kitchen. He was drying his hands off on a dish rag when he approached them, "It's a surprise to see you here. Um…" he glanced at Derek nervously, "…is everything…uh…okay?"

"Oh yes, I just am here to speak to Casey."

"Casey?"

"I have a business proposition for her. I would like her to come to practice several days out of the week to teach the boys ballet."

"Ballet?" George nearly choked on his own saliva. Derek beamed. Maybe George would actually be on his side in regards to this. Maybe he could talk some sense into Coach and tell him what a stupid idea it would be to have Casey teach them ballet.

"I know," Derek snorted, "Isn't it ridiculous, Dad?"

George, wondering when Derek had decided to finally make nice with him again stared at his son in confusion for a moment before saying, "Well, not exactly. Maybe Coach Samuels is on to something with this. What inspired this, Coach?"

Derek couldn't believe his ears. He should have known there was no way his dad would be on his side. Derek felt utterly betrayed. He threw himself into his recliner and waited for Casey to come home. He was living in a house of traitors. He tried to ignore George and Coach talking together about the importance of discipline and agreeing that ballet may just be the perfect solution. If there ever was a time that Derek and his dad saw eye to eye, it was certainly long gone now. The front door swung open and Casey tossed her keys into the catchall.

"Coach?"

"Hi there, Casey. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."

"Yeah, let me just run upstairs to freshen up real quickly and then I'll be right down. Excuse me."

Derek knew this was his chance. Of all the people to rely on and he was about to turn to Casey. But who else could he go to? He excused himself and took the stairs two at a time to catch up to her. She was untangling her hair from her bun when Derek barged into her room.

"Knock much?" She asked, unraveling her hair.

"I apologize, I was just in a hurry to have a moment to chat with my dear, dear, stepsister."

Casey squinted at him as though he had sprouted a second head, "What do you want, Derek?"

"Casey, in about five minutes, Coach is going to ask you something and it is important that you say no."

"Why?" Casey turned back to her vanity and tossed her hair up into a neat ponytail.

"Because if you say yes, it would be detrimental!"

"Detrimental, Derek?"

Derek rolled his eyes, not in the mood for her quips, "Yes, detrimental, Casey. You cannot agree to what he will ask you. You have to say no."

"I don't even know what he is going to ask me yet. Why is it so important anyway?"

"It just is. Please, Case…"

"Casey?" George called from downstairs, "Come down and talk to Coach Samuels."

"Be right there!" Casey called back, "Look," she turned to Derek, "I don't even know what he's going to ask me but I'll think about it, alright? I am not making any decisions just yet, alright?"

Derek sighed with relief and followed Casey downstairs.

"Casey," Coach turned to her, "I have a proposition for you."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering," Coach Samuels turned to Derek who was glaring at Casey, "If you are free on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons."

"Yes," Casey bit her lower lip, not quite sure what was going on and why Derek looked like he was going to murder everyone in the living room in about two minutes, "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you would be interested in coming by to teach the boys ballet on those days. It'd be in the afternoons, every day about four. It'd only be for an hour or so. I have just been thinking about what you said today in my office and I think the boys could really learn a lot from taking a few ballet lessons. I think it'd really whip them into shape."

Derek rolled his head back and prayed to no one in particular that Casey would come to her senses for once in her life and say no.

"That is a very interesting proposition," Casey mused and Derek's head snapped towards her in disbelief, "I can't help agree that ballet would definitely be beneficial to them."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Derek grabbed Casey by the shoulders and turned her so that she was facing him, "You can't actually be serious, Case?"

Casey pushed him off of her, "Actually, I am Derek. I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Does the whole universe hate me?" Derek asked to no one.

"Oh don't be melodramatic, Derek," George grinned, "I am sure there are a few specimens in the universe whom you have yet to piss off."

Derek groaned and tossed himself back into his chair. He didn't want to hear the rest of this conversation.

"Fantastic," Coach Samuels beamed, "I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday."

That night, Casey couldn't fall asleep. The loud music blaring from the bedroom next to hers didn't exactly help matters. No one had said anything to him about it. They had all been too weary of fights, allowing Derek to go on blasting his music past midnight. Casey tossed and turned in her bed before working up the courage to go and knock on his door. When she did, she regretted it.

"Go away!"

"Derek? It's me."

"I know who you are, stupid," Casey could practically see Derek rolling his eyes at her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"No."

Casey took a deep breath and opened his door anyway. He jumped from his bed and glowered at her.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"What my stepbrother taught me how to," Casey grinned before plopping down on the edge of his bed, "I just want to talk to you for a bit, is that too much to ask?"

"I don't talk with traitors, Case."

"Derek, I think ballet would really be good for you guys. You know, ballet isn't just wearing a tutu and prancing around. It's a lot of hard work and it requires a lot of discipline and diligence. I think you would actually gain something from it if you just gave it a chance."

"Get out of my room, Case."

Casey opened her mouth to say something else but decided against it. She did as Derek said and made her way back to her own bedroom. Sighing, she flopped down on her bed. Living with Derek Venturi was one thing but teaching him ballet? That would be literally hell! Derek already thought she had taken over his home, his friends, his school. He probably thought she was trying to take over the one thing that was really his – hockey. Casey rolled over and stared at the wall they shared and thought to herself, _I only want to help you win the championship._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek, V For Vendetta, or the songs I used in this chapter. There is a list of the songs used and their artists at the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoy. This one was a fun one to write! **

**Chapter Four**

The hockey team, dressed in sweat pants and t-shirts, waited the arrival of their dance instructor. Coach Samuels had yet to tell them who she was and they were all anxiously awaiting her. Well, everyone that is but Derek. Coach had called Derek once again to his office and gave him a lecture about supporting Casey and how much these ballet lessons would help their chances at winning the championship. Derek agreed to give Casey a shot if it meant doing well at the championship. He couldn't stop thinking about the scouts that would be there. If he had to do Casey's little ballet thing to impress the scouts, so be it.

It wasn't long though before Casey came bouncing into the gym in her usual cheerful manner. She was wearing a black leotard, a sheer black dance wrap around her waist, and point shoes. Her hair was pinned back in a butterfly clip and had on the slightest bit of blush. The boys stared at her as if in a trance. Derek rolled his eyes at their reaction to her. It was just Casey. What were they so amazed with? Sure, she was in a leotard and tights that showed off her curves, but that was beside the point!

"Hey guys," she waved.

"_You're_…our…dance instructor?" Sam chocked out. His eyes were saucers. He certainly was not expecting Casey of all people. And he was a little taken back by the sight of her in a leotard and tights.

"Didn't Coach tell you?" She asked, titling her head to the side. Sam merely shook his head. "Well then," Casey smiled readily, "As you can see, Coach has provided us with a barre to use. Now, I know that the gym floor isn't exactly the best place to practice dance, but it's close enough. I have brought some Bach, Tchaikovsky, and a little Mozart for us to dance to."

"Who the hell is Chowcoughski?"

"Tchaikovsky?" Casey blinked at the boy who had been so bold as to ask, "Swan Lake? Sleeping Beauty? _The Nutcracker_?" To Casey, the composer was as plain as day and anyone who asked was simply for lack of better word, dumb. After all, how could they not know who Tchaikovsky was? That was crazy, right?

"Casey, Casey, Casey," Derek walked over to his stepsister and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders as he had a tendency to do when trying to explain something to her, "No one knows who she is."

"He, Derek, _he_."

"He. No one knows who _he _is."

"But…he composed Swan Lake! The Nutcracker! Have you people had _any _exposure to culture?" When no one answered, Casey let out a groan, marched over to the CD player, and popped in a CD, "Tchaikovsky," Casey stated simply, "The Nutcracker. Op.71:No. 2 March."

"What the hell is your sister talking about?" Someone asked.

"Dude, she's hot but she sure is strange."

"No, not strange…_unique_."

"Shut up!" Derek hollered at his teammates, "If you want to win the championship, do what she says." It sounded weird to him, defending her and all, but he shook it off. After all, this was all about the championship and impressing the scouts. Nothing else.

"Now then," Casey smiled, pressing play, "_This _is Tchaikovsky!"

The music filled the gym. Some of the boys seemed to recognize the music and nodded their heads to the beat of it. Derek, who had his arms firmly crossed over his chest, found himself tapping his index finger against his arm in time to the music. Noticing this, he quickly stopped. Casey smiled at the boys, impressed with their interest in the music.

"If you think this is something," Casey grinned, "Listen to this."

She skipped forward a bit on the CD. The song she was looking for began to play.

"Ugh, this is boring!" Someone complained.

"Hold on," Casey smiled knowingly, "Just wait for it."

"Casey, what is this?" Derek griped, "It's too slow. Turn on some real music!"

"If you want real music," Casey grinned and folded her arms over her chest, "Just you wait."

The music was soft and slow and some of the boys began to sway to the time of the music. Derek folded his arms and scoffed. It was absolutely ridiculous. Casey was supposed to be teaching them ballet to help them, according to Coach, be prepared for the championship – not put them to sleep.

Suddenly the music began to pick up and some of the boys' eyes snapped open. Derek titled his head to the side, suddenly taking interest. The music's tempo picked up and became far more dramatic and interesting. Casey beamed as their interest in the music peeked. Suddenly the music grew quite a bit more dramatic and symbols began to crash. Derek was tapping his finger on his arm and Sam's head was bobbing in time to the music.

"Who is this one?" One of the teammates asked.

"Still Tchaikovsky," Casey grinned as the music continued to pick up.

"This is from _V for Vendetta_!" Sam instantly recognized the music.

"Yes," Casey smiled at him, "They used this music in that movie."

Derek pulled a face in an attempt to hide how much he liked the music. _Wait, no that's not right. I don't like this. This is Casey's boring stupid music. I don't…_

Suddenly the music grew even louder, snapping Derek away from his thoughts. Casey was tapping her foot to the beat of the music and was smiling to herself knowingly. Suddenly a loud crash, then another. Some of the boys jumped, including Derek.

Casey giggled and Derek glowered, "What the hell was that, Casey!"

"Cannons."

"_Cannons_?" Some of the boys stared at her in evident disbelief.

"Yes, cannons. Tchaikovsky used cannons when he composed this overture."

"That's badass!" Aaron Erickson nodded his approval.

"Yes," Casey beamed, "Yes it is."

Derek was still glowering only not as much as he had been a few minutes prior. Even he had to admit, it was pretty awesome that the guy had used cannons.

"And this is the Swan Lake guy?"

"Yes," Casey replied, "Same guy. Pretty talented, huh? So before you all complain about classical music being boring or something, I just wanted to share him with you. He was pretty awesome. He wrote three of the most famous and renowned ballets. So ballet isn't all about little girls in tutus, guys. Far from it, actually. When I get through with you, you'll be able to dance to some of his music. Now, to the barre. Before we grand jete into Tchaikovsky, we must first petit jete our way into the basics," Casey paused to laugh at her own joke, "Now then, face me and I will show you the positions."

"I wouldn't mind teaching _her _some positions," Stephen Smith snickered to himself. Derek, who was standing behind, gave him a firm kick in the back of the knee, causing him to almost fall over. He turned around and glared at Derek, rubbing the back of his knee. Derek raised an eyebrow and smirked triumphantly. Stephen rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Now then," Casey continued not having noticed the previous scene, "First Position. Stand with your heels touching each other and your toes out. Like this," Casey showed the boys how to do First Position, however, despite how easy it was to her, three boys fell over. Casey covered her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles.

"Do you think this is funny?" Derek demanded, pulling himself up by grasping on to the barre.

"No," Casey giggled, "What'd be funny is if you were wearing tights."

Derek shot Casey a squinted glare which only made her giggle more.

"_A-hem_," she cleared her throat and regained her composure, "Let's try that again. And you three, don't turn your toes out so far this time."

To Casey's surprise and relief, they guys were all able to master First Position.

"Second is easier than first, surprisingly. It's the same thing but only instead of having your heels touch, they are separated, like this. Good job! Third is tricky though. Stand with both feet firmly planted on the ground – do you three have the barre firmly? If not, you just might fall over again," that comment earned her another death glare from Derek, "Okay, slide your right foot into the rise of your left. Like this!" Casey was impressed that no one fell over this time.

"How many positions are there?" Sam asked.

"Five," Casey answered, "Not including the arm positions."

"If she was with me, there'd be more than five positions," Stephen leered.

"_A-hem_," Derek cleared his throat.

"Dude, face it, your sister is hot!"

Derek kicked him once again, harder this time which caused him to fall into the boy in front of him who fell into the one in front of him who fell into the one in front of him. It was a domino effect and Casey backed out of the way to keep the boy in the front from falling on her. Half the class lay sprawled out on the floor. Casey was completely oblivious as to what Stephen had said, only to the fact that Derek caused half her class to fall like dominos.

"Derek," Casey shot her stepbrother a stern look, "Was that necessary?"

"Yes," Derek nodded truthfully, "It was."

Shaking her head, Casey continued, "Four Position is a little harder than third," Casey showed them fourth and luckily, no one fell over, no one was kicked, and no one made obscene comments.

"How are we doing?" Sam asked her.

"You all are doing simply _magnifique_!" Casey said with an accent, "Now then, for fifth, it's like third but your feet touch," she showed them, "Good! Splendid! You guys all did amazingly! Now, I am going to allow you a five minute break before we being the positions of the arms."

"Don't say it," Derek hissed at Stephen who sheepishly shrugged.

"Casey," three of the boys came over to her during the break, "Um…you know…you aren't half bad at this ballet-teaching stuff."

"Why, thank you," Casey smiled at their attempt at a compliment, "I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you all."

Derek leaned against the barre and watched his teammates interact with Casey. He glowered, knowing they were up to no good.

"What's wrong, D?" Sam asked.

"Nothing."

"They don't mean anything by it. They just think she's…"

"If you say pretty, Sam, I _will_ hit you!"

"Fine," Sam sighed before brightly adding, "They don't mean anything by it. They just think she's stunning." Derek raised his fist, "Hey, I didn't say 'pretty.'"

"If you weren't my best friend…" Derek shook his head.

"Alright boys," Casey clapped her hands, "Now for the arm positions. First position is where you hold your arms in a downward circle except your hands don't touch. See? Wasn't that easy? Now then, second is where you hold your arms out to the side. Perfect! Third, one arm out to the side, one arm is in a semicircle at your side. Wonderful! Fourth, hold one arm in a semicircle at your side and the other above your head with your middle finger pointing."

"He flipped me off!"

"I did not!"

"Boys!" Casey clapped her hands, "Pay attention. Good, that looks good. Straighten your arm, Sam. Perfect!"

"Yeah. This isn't gay. At all."

"Just do what she says if you want to come close to winning that trophy," Derek snapped.

"And fifth is what I refer to as lollypop arms to my little girls."

"I want to give her a taste of my…"

"_Stephen_!" Derek hissed, "One more comment and I _swear_ your nose will never be straight again."

If Casey had heard their exchange, she didn't show it. The rest of practice was filled with reviewing the positions a few times and then Casey dismissed the boys. They all headed out the door, pausing the thank her for the dance instruction. All of them except for two: Derek and Stephen. Not that Stephen didn't want to leave though, because he did; however, the fact that Derek was gripping onto the back of his t-shirt was not allowing him the pleasure of speaking to his instructor.

"You even think about going over to her," Derek hissed, "And you will regret it."

Stephen shook out of Derek's grasp and rolled his eyes as he slipped past Casey and followed the rest of his team out the door to head to the rink. Derek lingered behind for a moment as he watched Casey pop another CD into the player.

"I'm just going to work on some choreography for you guys while you're in practice," she explained, "When you're done, come get me and we can head home, alright?"

Derek merely nodded a reply before making his way towards the rink. He could hardly wait to be able to drive The Prince again and not have Casey play chauffer. As he headed out the door, he heard her music fill the gym as she swept her way over to the middle of the gym floor. She twirled slightly and Derek could see the wheels turning in her head. Choreography was Casey's baby. He'd never admit it to anyone, but had a lot of respect for her because of her dance. Dance to Casey was what hockey was to him. The fact that they had something relating them to each other impressed Derek. He lingered a bit more and watched her spin and sweep her leg to the side before suddenly running and jumping into the air. Mid-air, she spun and Derek watched, wide-eyed, as she landed flawlessly.

_Whoa…_

"D?" Sam placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, "Come on."

"Sorry," Derek shook his head and tried to push all thoughts of Casey and her dancing out of his mind.

"She's good, huh?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Derek shrugged, "She's alright I guess."

"It's not like you've never seen her dance before," Sam reminded him.

"Right," Derek nodded. It was true, he had seen her dance quite a bit but there was just something different about seeing her alone in the gym like he had, "She's uh…going to choreograph something for us."

"She's great at that stuff, huh?" Sam asked, "Someday when she's a famous dancer in New York or something, you've got to get me free tickets, man."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Sam."

"Hey, she's going to go far in her dancing, D. Anyone can see that."

"Alright, enough Spacy talk. Let's get to practice before Coach has us run laps."

"How was it?" Casey asked self-consciously as she drove Derek home after practice. She shot him a worried glance and Derek felt a bit bad. Didn't she know how good she was? Why was she so self-conscious about it?

"Well, it wasn't _complete_ hell."

"Ha," Casey laughed, "I'm glad you enjoyed it so much."

"Can we put in a CD?"

"Sure," Casey nodded towards the glove box, "There's one called Casey's Mix in there. Pop that in."

"K," Derek put in the CD and the sounds of the William Tell Overture filled the car,

"What is this?" He asked, tapping his fingers in time to the music.

"Rossini."

"Rossini? Is that seriously a guy's name?"

"Hey, don't forget 'Chowcoughski.'" Casey reminded him.

"Makes Derek sound like a good name."

"It is," Casey said simply before quickly changing the subject, "Rossini is one of my favorite composers. Just listen to the music, it has such…passion."

Derek would never admit it to her or anyone else for that matter, but she had a point. That Rossini guy must have had a real love of music. There was much more 'passion' as Casey had called it, in Rossini's music than most of the artists Derek heard on the radio. He ran his teeth across his bottom lip, taking in the music.

"Too much of today's music just doesn't have passion," Casey mused, "I mean, I know you make fun of me for listening to my bubble gum pop, but that's just fun music. I do it because it's fun to dance around and sing into a hair brush too. But too much music today is so…_lacking_. It just doesn't have the passion that older music has."

Derek fought the urge to turn to her and instead kept his attention focused on the passing scenery, "Yeah, that's why I like old rock," he shrugged, "It just has a different sound, you know? I am sure there's a lot of music out there that is passionate but the stuff that gets played on the radio is mostly just repetitive lyrics written by corporations and not by the actual artists."

Casey nodded, surprised that she and Derek had something to agree on, "Exactly. There's so many songs out there that just are 'hey baby' repeated over and over again. Where is the meaning behind that, huh?"

Derek finally turned and glanced at her. Casey took her eyes off the road for a brief moment to meet his. _Get it together, Ventrui. This is Casey. You have nothing in common with Casey. You're losing it man. Pull it together. _Derek turned away from her and Casey turned her attention back to the road. They had actually had a conversation without a fight or an insult. Derek was not used to that and was way outside his comfort zone. He decided he needed restore the balance in the universe.

"Alright, Case," Derek reached over and popped out her CD, "I don't mind it in small increments but right now, I want to listen to my music." He found the station he was looking for and turned up the volume.

"Der-ek!" Casey protested, "What happened to music needing passion?"

Derek smirked, "You can have your fun, guilty pleasure music and I have mine." The next song played and Derek practically jumped out of the seat to crank it up. Casey smiled tightly, keeping her eyes on the road, as Derek began to belt out the lyrics to the song.

"_Any time I need to see your face I close my eyes and I am taken to a place where your crystal minds and magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine sweet like –_ "

"A chica-cherry cola!" Casey leaned towards him and together they sang the lyric.

"You know this song?"

"Who doesn't, Derek?" Casey rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

Together, they belted out the chorus, "_Ooh I want you, I don't know if I need you but ooh I'd die to find out! Ooh I want you, I don't know if need you but ooh I'd die to find out!_"

For whatever the reason, they both started laughing and couldn't stop. By the time The Prince pulled into the driveway, they had tears in their eyes and Derek shook his head as he tried to compose himself.

"What station is that?" Casey asked.

"90s rock," Derek lifted a knuckle to wipe at his eye.

The next song came on and both Casey and Derek stopped and turned to stare at each other. It was Casey this time who turned up the volume.

"Well, we _can't_ go in now!"

"And miss this song? It'd be a crime!"

"_We'll be singing, when we're winning, we'll be singing, when we're winning_," and suddenly they both shouted in unison, "_I get knocked down! But I get up again! You're never gonna keep me down!_"

After the song ended, finally Casey turned off the ignition and Derek swung open the passenger door and headed around to get his gym bag from the backseat.

"You know, your taste in music isn't half bad," Casey leaned against The Prince as he gathered his things.

Derek hoisted the bag on his shoulder and said, "Yours isn't that bad either, Spacey. But I don't really know how my music could ever top songs with cannons in them. No wonder you like that guy so much. Songs with cannons? What a _keener_!"

**Author's Note: Hope you're enjoying it so far. I am having a blast going through my previous chapters I had for this and editing them, improving them (I hope), and adding to them. Its a blast and I can't wait to add new chapters to this story as well. I am so glad I finally got the courage to delete the original off of here and start over. **

**Songs that were mentioned in this Chapter:  
- Tchaikovsky 1812 overture  
- I Want You, Savage Garden  
- Tubthumping, Chumbawamba**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Casey, may I talk to you for a moment?" Coach Samuels asked as Casey and Derek walked through the door of the gym that Wednesday. Derek took the CD player and Casey's bag with an understanding nod. It was a nice gesture, even for Derek. Casey shook it off as him showing off for the coach and followed Coach Samuels into his office.

"Yes, Coach Samuels?"

"This is Gavin. Gavin's father transferred from New York this past week and Gavin is just getting settled in school. He was a forward on his old team but I am going to try him out for a while to see where I want him. I hope you will get him caught up with what all we've been doing."

"Yeah, no problem," Casey turned her attention to the blonde boy standing at Coach's side. He had bright baby-blue eyes and an awkward smile, "I'm Casey," she said, sticking out her hand, "I've been teaching the boys ballet to improve their grace and teamwork on the ice."

"Coach was telling me about that. I think that's cool." Casey was taken back. Sure the guys on the team didn't seem to mind the ballet lessons much, but they'd never really go as far as to think it was cool. In fact, most of them still thought it was pretty strange. Casey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued.

"Well, we already had one lesson so if it isn't a problem, can you stay after and I can get you caught up? I know what it's like being the new-kid and I don't want you to feel behind or left out."

"That's no problem at all. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Also, you can stand in the front today if you'd like. I'll try not to go too fast today."

"Okay, thanks."

"Come on, Gavin, I'll introduce you to the team," Coach interrupted.

Casey smiled as she followed Gavin and the coach out to the gym. Gavin seemed pleasant and that was always a turn-on for her. It would be nice to have a gentlemen on the team for a change. After Coach introduced him, Casey began to get down to business.

"Today we're going to have to go over warm ups. I don't want to go over anything too new until I get Gavin here caught up."

"When exactly are you planning to get him caught up?" Derek asked.

"After practice."

"But I want to go home!" Derek whined, clearly not happy about having to wait after practice for Gavin's private lessons to finish up.

"I know," Casey sighed, "Just wait. It won't take ten minutes."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive," Casey smiled sweetly, "Okay, let's start our warm-ups. Everyone sit down on the floor. Let's sit in rows so everyone can see. Five per row. There, perfect. Okay, now just copy what I do. Warm-ups are all pretty easy. They stretch your muscles and enable you to boost your performance."

"I dunno about the other guys here," Derek stated, haughtily, "But I don't need to boost _my_performance!"

"That's not what Kendra said!" Stephen smirked earning himself hoots and hollers from all the other guys with an exception to Derek and Gavin. Derek looked like he was about to pounce on Stephen while Gavin, on the other hand, sat there quietly looking around at the commotion around him. Casey shot him a shy smile as if apologizing for Derek's behavior.

"I am sure we all have areas we would like to boost up," Casey said patiently.

"I know an area Derek would like to boost up…"

"Stephen!" Casey and Derek shouted in unison. They both looked up at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Umm…"

"Yeah…"

"Uh…"

Both Casey and Derek turned an embarrassing shade of pink. What had just happened? It was eerie sharing a thought with Derek and Casey cleared her throat and tried her best to gather her composure. Derek did the same in running a hand through his hair.

"Moving along," Casey clapped her hands together, "We are going to start off with leg stretches. First off, separate your legs…"

_Whack!_

"Derek hit me!"

"Stephen, settle down," Casey rolled her eyes.

"But he hit me!"

"Derek," Casey tried to stay calm. _It's like dealing with five year olds_, "Why did you hit Stephen?"

"See, each time Stephen makes a perverted comment, I hit him. This time I just did it ahead of time because I knew he was going to say something."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Gavin interjected, "But I thought this was a high school hockey team, not a group of elementary school kids!"

"Who asked you?" Derek snarled, unimpressed by Gavin's refereeing.

"Gavin has a point," Casey agreed much to Derek's disgust, "You guys are being very immature today. I thought I could at least teach you stretches without anyone falling over or making any kind of interruptions but I guess I had too high of standards for you."

For some unexplainable reason, Derek had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Could it be…nah, it couldn't be. Derek Venturi just couldn't possibly feel…bad. Remorse wasn't a usual sentiment for him. He couldn't possibly…it just wasn't possible. But then why would his stomach feel that way? Casey was trying hard to help them and they were acting like morons. She was taking time out of her schedule to help them. Derek reminded himself that she had stayed up past midnight working on a school assignment because she had been busy with their dance lessons. The thought made him feel even worse. Gulping, he chocked out his apology.

"Look…Case," Derek began, "I didn't mean…"

"What's this?" Casey asked, "Is _Derek Venturi_ apologizing to _me_?"

"Well I'm not going to now thanks to that little comment!"

"And just when I thought hell was freezing over," Casey smirked, "Anyways, back to our stretches. I want you guys to separate your legs, like this, and grab on to your right foot first."

"I can't reach that far," Sam protested.

"That's why you need to stretch," Casey smirked knowingly, "Now put your legs together and reach out and try to touch your toes. Okay, we'll work on that one."

After thirty minutes of stretches, Casey dismissed the boys. While she had the gym to herself, she worked on more of the choreography. When practice was over, Gavin and Derek headed back into the gym. Casey was about to take Gavin over to the barre when Derek stopped her.

"Space Case, a moment," Derek gestured for her to come over to him.

"Derek, what?" Casey hissed, annoyed.

"How long is this going to take?"

"Five minutes tops. Just sit out there and wait."

"Okay, but five minutes is all, got it?"

"Got it," Casey smiled as Derek turned and headed over to the bleachers, "Alright, Gavin come over here to the barre. I am going to show you the positions."

Derek watched from the bleachers as Casey proceeded to teach Gavin every position she had taught them the day before. As he watched Gavin place his hand on Casey's shoulder 'for balance' he had an unexplainable sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Must have been the burrito I had for lunch,_Derek concluded. He had to stop eating those things. They were a stomach ulcer wrapped in a heart attach with a sprinkle of high cholesterol on top. If he was ever going to make it big in the hockey world, he'd have to do away with the empty carbs.

"Gavin, you are such a good student!"

Derek looked up to see Casey cooing over Gavin's mastering of a demi pliet. _It wasn't that great,_Derek muttered to himself. He continued to watch them until Gavin said something that, for some reason, ticked him off.

"You are a beautiful dancer, Casey." _What? The little twerp hasn't even seen her dance at all. All they are doing is holding on to each other and doing pliets and pointing their toes! _

"Thank you, Gav…"

"Alrighty then!" Derek made his presence known by standing up and making his way over to the barre, "That's been _waaaay_ longer than five minutes."

"Derek…"

"Hey, you told me that it'd be no more than five minutes."

"If you'd excuse me, Gavin, it seems that the royal highness isn't getting his way. I have to go before he starts running around singing 'off with their heads.'" This remark merited her a laugh from Gavin and a glower from Derek who seemed rather unimpressed by her jest.

"Alright, I understand," Gavin nodded.

"Good. I have to go change but you two can stay here and talk. Get to know each other better as teammates."

It wasn't until Casey was gone that Derek turned and glared at the blonde boy standing beside him.

"What were you doing out there?" Derek demanded.

"I don't understand…"

"You were flirting with Casey!"

"I was not."

"Yes you where and I don't appreciate it. You see, _pal_, if you are going to play on this team you've got to play by the rules. Rule number one is the following: do not date a teammate's stepsister."

"Dude, she's your stepsister?"

"Unfortunately," Derek answered.

"I can see why that's unfortunate. I bet you feel just awful not having a chance with her."

Derek felt as though Gavin had punched him in the gut. He recovered and glared at his new teammate, "Shut it, Gavin," Derek commanded, "Look, Casey is my stepsister. Teammates don't date teammates' sisters, stepsisters, or the likewise."

"I wasn't going to date her. I was just talking to her…"

"No," Derek interrupted, "You were flirting with her. Trust me, I am like the king of flirting and I know very well what you were doing."

"Fine," Gavin shrugged, "I was flirting with her. Your stepsister isn't like a lot of the other girls, Derek. She's…"

"A freak, yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know."

"No," Gavin shook his head in objection, "She is special. I would be honored to date her."

"Honored? What is this? You sound like one of those guys she reads about in her romance novels," Derek shuddered, "Look, Gavin, I don't think you are aware of the male code."

"Male code?"

"Yes. Male code blue is where friends cannot date a friend's stepsister. The male code red is the one that says teammates can't date a teammate's stepsister."

"That's just a stupid rule you came up with!"

"It is not. It's true. Ask Sam."

"Sam?"

"He tried to break that rule, I tried to break his face."

"Whatever, man," Gavin rolled his eyes, "I can date whomever I wish and that includes your sister."

"Stepsister."

"Hey," Casey bounced over to the barre where the two boys were still talking, "Ready to go, Derek?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded, "I am," he shoved past Gavin and headed out the door with Casey.

_Who does that little shit think he is, _Derek mused, _acting like he knows Casey – calling her a beautiful dancer and he's never even seen her dance. And what was up with him saying she's special? Like I don't know she's special. Of course she's special, she's Casey. I may say she's special as in Short Bus Special but really, she is special and I don't need some blonde haired, blue-eyed, romance novel wannabe telling me she is! _

The car ride was silent except for the radio which happened to be playing one of Derek's favorite songs. Casey reached over to change the station but Derek swatted her hand a little too forcefully. Casey recoiled and Derek rolled his eyes offering her the only thing close to an apology he would.

"I like this song," he said, making sure to take out any frustration and anger from his voice.

"Eve 6?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you hated them."

"I hate them. I like this song."

"Okay," Casey rolled her eyes, "Whatever Mr. Picky Pants."

"Shut up, Polly Preppy Pants."

"Skirt Chasing Cad!"

"You're ruining the song!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Casey said in mock-remorse.

"Just shut up and drive," Derek rolled his eyes and turned up the volume.

_Think twice before you touch my girl__**  
**__Come around I'll let you feel the burn__**  
**__Think twice before you touch my girl__**  
**__Come around come around no more__  
_

_Gavin should think twice before touching my girl…my girl? Where the hell did that come from? Casey is not, and never will be, 'my girl.' Pull yourself together, Venturi. What is getting into you lately. It's Casey. Just Casey. You know? Stupid, annoying, preppy Space Case Casey! Stop thinking about her._

Derek shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts. There was no way he meant that Casey was "his girl" he was just equating the song to his annoyance with Gavin. That must be it. _I'd feel the same if it was any other guy, _Derek mused, _the team knows that Casey is off limits. Gavin better get that figured out or…or__ else we're going to have some issues. _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Derek had been minding his own business, pacing around his bedroom when his dad had called from the bottom of the stairs, "Derek, Casey time for dinner!" _Great_, Derek thought, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't in the mood for a family dinner and he was certainly not in the mood to see Casey. _Maybe I can just eat in my room? _After Derek had seen Gavin and Casey interact, he knew what Gavin was up to. He knew he wanted to get with Casey and the kid seemed pretty determined. Derek ran a hand through his hair again as he continued pacing. What did it matter anyway? What was the big deal if Casey wanted to go out with Gavin and vice versa? Seriously, who would it be harming if they did? Derek felt a queasiness clench at his stomach and he winced – _Oh yeah, me. _He didn't understand why he was so bothered by the fact that Casey and Gavin had been flirting. Casey had a right to flirt with whomever she wanted to and it was frankly none of his business. _Of course it's my business – it's Casey! _Derek winced, wondering where all these thoughts were coming from. He didn't like them one bit and wished he could go back to his usual feelings of annoyance and disgust towards his stepsister. But the more he thought on it, the more he realized he hadn't had any genuine feelings of disgust towards her ever. Maybe annoyance at times, but there wasn't a time Derek could recall when he actually hated Casey McDonald. The revelation made him uneasy.

"Derek, Casey! Now!" George's shouting rattled Derek from his thoughts. He and his dad had yet to really speak since the incident after the previous game. George would make small talk, but mostly Derek would just nod or grunt his replies. He didn't want to make his dad any madder, but he also didn't want to face him. He wasn't ready to make up with his dad, especially since doing so would be admitting he had been a total ass to him. _When did I start getting like this? My whole family is walking on eggshells around me and I hate it. If I wasn't so stressed about these stupid scouts at this stupid game. No, they aren't stupid. They're my only chance. But still…I can't let my stress get to me like this. It's effecting my family. Not even Marti will talk to me the same. I should try to make things right or at least try to get things back to normal._

Derek swung open his bedroom door and headed over to Casey's. He was determined to show his family that he was fine and that everything was back to normal. Picking on Casey would be the perfect way to go about that. _Besides, maybe if I fight with her, she'll annoy me and for a second I will be able to push all these weird thoughts towards her out of my head. Yup, good plan, Ventrui. _

"Casey, time for dinner," Derek called through her bedroom door. When she didn't respond, he swung open her bedroom door. She was lying on her bed, engrossed with her novel – the same one she was reading when he finally came home after the game. He frowned at how beat up it was and swore one of the pages looked like it was going to fall out.

Casey didn't even look up, she was too busy reading Pride and Prejudice and was far too busy imagining herself as the young, spirited, willful Elizabeth Bennet being asked to dance by Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Sighing, she smiled and closed her eyes and imagined it all. In her mind's eye, she saw the beautiful dresses and suits and the hair curled in little ringlets around her face. She saw Fitzwilliam with his dark hair and mysterious eyes that sparkled when he'd speak directly towards her. She felt butterflies in her stomach as the scene played itself out in her head.

_"Miss McDonald, might I be so honored by sharing this dance with you?"_

_"Why, Mr. Darcy, the honor will be all mine."_

_"Might I say, Miss McDonald, you look ravishing today."_

_"If I could be so bold, sir, you look rather dashing yourself."_

_"It is the very boldness of a woman I find attractive."_

"Casey!"

_Casey held Mr. Darcy's left hand in hers as his right was placed on her hip. They began to waltz to the orchestra playing. She gazed into his eyes and found herself so lost within them that she barely even noticed the disappointing glances of her aunts. There was something familiar about the spark in his brown eyes and Casey felt herself swoon under his touch. Suddenly she heard a voice calling her name and her she turned to see who had spoken to her so loudly and harshly in the middle of the dance. When she turned back around into the arms of Fitzwilliam, she saw that he was none other than…_

"Casey!"

"What is it?" Casey quickly snapped back to reality. There was no Mr. Darcy, no waltz, no party, and no disapproving aunts. It was just her in her plain as day bedroom with Derek standing next to her, glowering. Casey shuddered as she realized who Fitzwilliam Darcy had turned into during their dance. _I ask for a Mr. Darcy, and I get a Venturi._Casey rolled his eyes, and placed her bookmark inside before closing and setting aside her book.

"Dinner's ready. Didn't you hear?"

"I was reading Jane Austen, Derek," Casey stated simply.

"Which means you were too busy being a Space Case to hear me?" He raised an eyebrow wondering what was so special about the book anyway that made Casey all swoony and spacey.

"I wasn't being a 'Space Case' as you so kindly put it," Casey quirked an eyebrow, "I was just lost in thought. You know, Derek, things would be a lot simpler in the time of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam."

"Elizabeth and Fitzwho?"

"Fitzwilliam Darcy."

"Oookay, and what the hell is a Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

"Only the most perfect man imaginable," Casey closed her eyes and leaned back against her pillows, "He is kind, sophisticated, mature, polished, suave, charming, chivalrous, and disappointingly, only a mere work of fiction."

"Sounds like a real fruitcake to me."

"Any charming young man _would_sound like a…fruitcake to someone with obviously no tastes."

"Hey, I have tastes! I have a taste for fried chicken so hurry up and get downstairs or I might just eat your serving."

During dinner, Nora asked, "So kids, how was everyone's day?"

"Casey has a boyfriend," Derek said in an exaggerated sing-song voice. He knew this was his chance to make everything all right in the universe. Things were too tense and stiff since his explosion and he wanted to restore the balance a bit.

"Casey?" Nora raised an eyebrow, "Is this true?"

"No," Casey shot Derek a look, "What are you talking about?" Though she knew certainly well just whom Derek was referring to.

"That Gavin kid. There's this new guy on the hockey team, Gavin. He and Casey have a thing."

"We do not have a _thing_," Casey looked at Derek as if he had sprouted a second head, "I don't know what you are talking about, Derek."

"Come on. You guys were like all over each other at practice today." At that, both George and Nora raised their eyebrows. Edwin tried to choke back a laugh into a cough and Lizzie slugged him in the shoulder.

"I helped him find his balance!"

"Excuses, excuses," Derek said as he shoveled in a bite of mashed potatoes, "He'll probably ask you out by Friday!"

"Derek!" Lizzie cried from the opposite side of the table. She slowly lifted a hand and glared at Derek as she wiped potatoes off her cheek, "Don't spew your food at me when you talk! Talk about sick!"

"Lizzie," Casey said calmly, "He is a Venturi. You can't expect much out of him when it comes to table manners."

"I resent that!" George chimed in.

"Uh…George," Nora lifted her napkin and wiped gravy off his cheek, "So, Casey, tell me about Gavin."

"He's just this guy…"

"If he is 'just this guy' why are you blushing?" Edwin grinned to Casey's dismay.

"I am not blushing. It's…it's just hot in here. Anyone else hot?"

"I bet you think Gavin is!" Derek smirked.

"_Shut up, Derek_," Casey growled, "I don't like Gavin. Besides, he isn't even interested in me much less ask me out Friday!"

"Sure, Case. Whatever you say."

"Besides, what would possibly make you think that he will ask me out?"

"Because. Why do you care?"

"I…I don't."

"Good. You know Case, I was just messin' with you. He won't ask you out. Why would he?" Derek shoveled a bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth nonchalantly.

"What do you mean why would he?"

"Because, you're a keener."

"Don't call me that!" Casey's cheeks flushed.

"Derek, Casey," Nora snapped, "Stop it!" The banter had taken a darker tone and she had quickly picked up on it. This wasn't their usual teasing, this was Derek genuinely trying to make her angry. Derek had no idea when it happened, but somehow during the talk of Gavin he felt that panging squeezing in his stomach take over again and he needed to lash out. Why was he feeling this way about Casey and Gavin? What did he care? To hide it, he decided to be mean to her. He was never genuinely mean to her, a bit of jerk at times, but never genuinely mean. He didn't know why, but he was enjoying it.

"Sorry, Mom," Casey said, taking a bite of her tofu.

Derek's lips pulled back into a sneer and he said, "Besides, Case, who would wanna go out with you?"

Casey couldn't take it much longer. Instead, she stood up, threw down her napkin, and stormed upstairs. Marti jumped when the door slammed. Casey threw herself on her bed as tears began to seep out of her eyes. How dare Derek say something like that! He had no right! How could he? She had no idea what had gotten into him and that bothered her more so than the fact that he had been a complete jerk to her.

_I just don't know why he's been acting like this…first it's the fighting and then the huge fight with George and now me? I don't understand. I didn't even do anything to him. I don't even like Gavin all that much. Gavin is sweet and charming but Gavin just is lacking something. I don't know. I can't explain it. I just wish Derek saw that. I wish he knew that I don't care about Gavin in that way. But if he's going to make a fool out of himself like this, well then I might actually have to follow Gavin's advances just to show Derek. How dare he say something like that to me! Maybe he is right…maybe I am not really girlfriend material. I haven't had a boyfriend in a very long time. There might be a reason for that. Maybe I am just some stupid keener who no one would ever be interested in. Gavin is interested in me it seems, but what are his real motives? The hockey team – they all like me, but it's just because they've never seen a girl in a leotard before. Maybe Derek is right. No one would ever want to date me. Why would they? I am annoying and shallow sometimes and I too perky and preppy and I get overly excited about things and sometimes I get way to caught up…_

_Oh my gosh, Derek was right. I am not girlfriend material. How could someone want to date me anyway? My dream guy is a guy like Fitzwilliam and there's not Fitzwilliam's left in this world – or at least none where I live._

Casey wiped at the tears that were on her cheeks. She hated that Derek had made her cry. He had done a lot of lousy things to her over the years but making her cry wasn't one of them. Now not only had he made her cry, but he had also gotten into her head. Casey crumpled up into a ball and tried to just fall asleep.

_Maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he's just under a lot of stress and pressure and just lashed out at you. That's probably it. He probably didn't actually mean any of those things he said. But they are pretty true. No guy really is interested in me. I can be a total loser sometimes, like Derek always tells me. I just thought maybe there would be a guy that wouldn't care about that. Societies standards of what is popular and cool are all wonky anyway. I just want a guy that will realize that. Instead, the only guy in my life is Derek Venturi and he can hardly stand to be around me. Derek makes my blood boil sometimes, but he is the coolest guy in school and girls fawn around him like he's Channing Tatum or something. Maybe there is something wrong with me…_

Derek excused himself and made his way upstairs. He found himself outside Casey's door. He wished he could go in and apologize, explain why he'd said what he had. But then again, how could he? He couldn't very well just go in there and say, "Hey, Case look I'm sorry I said that, the truth is I threatened Gavin if he ever wanted to go out with you. You know why I did that? Because I don't want him going out with you, because for whatever reason I've become insanely jealous.'

Yeah, that'd go real well. Derek ran a hand through his hair and abandoned Casey's bedroom door. Instead, he made his way back to his own bedroom, flopped down on his bed, and tried to fall asleep – a task that was next to impossible for him. He was too busy listening to Casey sigh through the wall that they shared and hearing Casey cry and knowing that he was the reason why, killed him inside.

_She should know better anyway, _Derek tried to reason, _she should know I didn't mean any of that stuff. Tons of guys like her. Every guy on the hockey team is like practically losing it during dance lessons – doesn't she see that? They all are dying to get with her and would sell their organs to take her out for pizza or a movie or something. All of them want to be with her. And why shouldn't they want to? She's kind of pretty for a nutcase and she's funny and smart and a good dancer and passionate and…okay that's enough complimenting Casey for one night! Pull yourself together, Venturi! It's quiet, maybe she's stopped…_Derek leaned closer to the wall that they shared and listened, _damn it! Nope, still crying. Nice going, Venturi. You made Casey cry. You officially win the award for the biggest jackass in the history of jackasses. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter update, but thank you guys so much for your awesome reviews. It means so much to me! I wasn't sure if anyone would give this story a second chance and I am so glad to see that you chose to click on it and read it and even review. I am having a blast revamping this story. These previous chapters have all been edited chapters from the original. However, starting with this chapter and the one to follow, I am writing completely new material here - not just editing and fixing up and adding to already completed chapters. I am so excited. I have so many ideas and I am so excited to put them to paper and share them with you. Again, you guys are so awesome! Thank you! **

**Chapter Seven**

The next morning, Casey got up and got ready for school as if nothing had happened. She seemed her usual cheery self, but when they got in the car to head over to the school, Derek realized that it was all a façade. She was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were a ghostly shade of white and it was then Derek realized she hadn't said anything to him all morning. That bothered him. When they fought, they'd still always speak even if it meant just so they could fight even more. Casey's silence killed him. He wanted to talk to her, but knew her better than that. She needed him to just back off for a bit. If this had been any other time or any other incident, Derek would have tried picking a fight just to get something out of her, but this time was different. He had really hurt her and she needed her space from him. Instead of trying to get her to talk, he leaned back against the seat and rested his head against the window, watching the passing scenery. _Well you've really screwed this one up, Venturi._

The ride to school was completely silent. Casey didn't even have the radio on. Derek had thought about reaching over and popping in her mix CD but decided against it. She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and continued to drive, trying to push all thoughts of Derek out of her mind. It was difficult, especially with him sitting right next to her. She knew he thought she couldn't tell, but she noticed him glancing at her from the corner of his eye every so often. It was driving her crazy. She couldn't wait to just get to school and get on with her day without Derek. Once at school, she hopped out of the car and took off before Derek even had time to get his backpack out of the back seat. He glowered and watched her hurry inside the school as he opened the back door and heaved his backpack onto his shoulder. _She'll come around eventually, _Derek tried to sound encouraging, although he wasn't so certain.

"Casey!" Gavin slammed his locker and hurried to catch up to her, "Hey!"

"Hey, Gavin," Casey gave him her best plastered smile and tried to act civil. After all, it wasn't his fault Derek was a jerk. Why should she take her anger out on him? After her parents' divorce, she had become an expert at putting on a smile and pretending as though she had not stayed awake all night crying. She had gotten really good at faking it and even prided herself on that fact.

However, she seemed transparent to Gavin, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Gavin, nothing at all," Casey lied and hoped she sounded convincing. She didn't.

"Come on, Casey. I know something is bothering you."

"Do you really want to know?" Casey asked; Gavin nodded, "Derek…Derek was kind of a jerk to me last night so…"

"A jerk?" Gavin raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"He just…he told me that no guy would ever want to go out with me."

"That's not true. Derek doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I know I shouldn't let Derek's childish comments affect me but it hurt, Gavin. I mean, if it were just a one-time deal, I wouldn't be so upset but he says stuff like that all the time to me. I've tried, Gavin, I've tried to be civil towards him but it is very difficult to be civil to someone who messes with your alarm clock, steals your clothes and your deodorant, throws food at you, and tells the few guys that do call and ask me out that I am too busy to even give them the time of day. You don't know how it is living with that!"

"He sounds like a real loser."

Casey didn't know why, but the word 'loser' being associated with Derek kind of dug at her. Derek was a jerk sometimes, but he was far from being a loser. She tried to shove those thoughts away and said, "Yeah, well I just want to get away from him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I already am in his house, at his school, and at hockey practice. I think I should just tell Coach Samuels to find someone else. I just can't do this."

"But…I…I don't want you to go."

"You don't?"

"No and neither do practically all the other guys on the team. They all have a thing for ya, Case. Especially that Stephen kiddo."

"Yeah," Casey nodded, "I don't want to leave you guys. I feel like I'd be abandoning you all right before your big game. Here I am supposed to be helping you guys prepare and I would be turning my back on you. It wouldn't be right."

"Yeah, the Championship Game is kind of important."

"I couldn't ditch you guys. You need me!"

"And we'd miss you too much if you walked out."

"So I should stay?"

"If you don't, lots of guys will be very sad. Including me."

"Really?"

"Casey, Derek was wrong when he said that no one would like to go out with you."

"How so?"

"Because I want to go out with you," Gavin blushed slightly and Casey felt butterflies metamorphose in her stomach.

"You? You want to go out with me?" Casey's eyes widened with glee.

"Yeah."

"Well…what if I were to say that I wanted to go out with you too?"

"Well, I'd ask you if you wanted to wear my hockey ring because I guess that's what couples do and then I'd ask you if you wanted to catch a movie with me tonight? We could maybe hit up the mall and have a food court dinner and catch a movie. If you want to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. What'd you say?"

"I'd accept the ring and wear it always and say yes to the movie – as long as it isn't horror. I can't stand gore!" Casey made a face and tried to sound chipper. Here was a guy asking her out and he seemed like a nice guy – a decent guy with a good heart. It was a welcome change to what Casey was used to and she gladly accepted it. She knew it was childish, but she was also practically bouncing with excitement about getting to share the news with Derek.

"Alright," Gavin grinned as he slipped a golden ring onto Casey's finger. It was too big, "I have a solution for that," Gavin quickly undid a silver medal that hung around his neck, "I am sure St. Peter will understand," he grinned and took the medal off the chain and slipped the ring through the chain, "Now, turn around."

Casey felt goose pimples crawl on her skin as Gavin's cold fingers lightly skimmed her neck as he clasped the chain closed. She felt like this was a scene from a novel and she beamed at the thought. Gavin was really a sweet guy and here she was accepting his hockey ring already. Maybe it was a bit too fast seeing as how she just met him, but after Derek's hurtful words, she needed something to cheer her up and Gavin provided the perfect opportunity.

"Perfect," Gavin smiled, "It looks good on you."

"Thank you," Casey touched the heavy ring, "What'd you get it for?"

"Winning the state championship back home."

"You won the championship?"

"Yup. I was the best player they ever saw!"

"Yeah, that's not egotistical at all."

"Yeah well it's true. I'll show you sometime. Hey, I got to get to McAllen's class. See you around."

"Gavin…"

"Yes, Case?"

"Would you…would you eat lunch with me today?"

"Of course," he smiled, "Nothin' could make me happier."

Butterflies flapped their wings inside Casey's stomach as Gavin turned and left. She lightly touched the ring that hung around her neck. Her heartbeat began to race and she was almost positive she'd go into shock. Never before had she felt this giddy around a guy – not Sam, not Max, not anyone. She had a good feeling about Gavin but there was just one problem – Derek. Casey shook the thought from her head and hurried off to rub the good news in Derek's face.

Sure, it was immature and a little mean but Derek deserved it for how he had treated her the night before. Casey scanned the halls until she saw Derek leaning against his locker, a coy smile tugging at his lips as he watched a blonde in a short skirt walk past.

"Derek," Casey grinned as she hurried towards him.

"Hey," Derek nodded towards her, "Still mad at me?"

"Oh of course," Casey smiled sweetly, "But I just wanted to share the good news…"

"What the hell is that around your neck?" Derek asked, recognizing the ring instantly. He didn't have a ring of his own. Coach had said if they won the championship they'd all get rings, but Derek thought back to the scar on his forehead and wasn't entirely sure if he wanted one. If he got one, he'd never wear it. Maybe he'd give it to Marti to play with or something…

"Oh, Gavin's hockey ring. He's letting me wear it."

"Really now?" Derek's eyes widened.

"Yup. He's also taking me out to the movies tonight."

"Good for him."

"Yeah. Oh, did I mention he won this ring for winning his championship?"

"No," Derek sucked on his teeth and wished she would just go away. Why was she telling him all of this stuff anyway?

"Well he did. Everyone thought he was the best player ever."

"Good for him."

"I wonder if Coach Samuels knows that."

"I don't know," Derek tried to act coy but his blood was boiling with rage.

"Anyways, I just wanted you to be the first to know. I guess you were wrong after all."

"About?"

"About no guy wanting to go out with me," Casey smirked as she walked off to her English class.

Derek swallowed hard to keep from shouting and crying out in pain after slamming his fist angrily against his locker. One thought kept playing in his mind – _That little bitch!_He knew Casey wasn't quite as innocent as she appeared but this…this was just pure evil. She was diabolical! Threatening his position on the hockey team was definitely out of line! How dare she say that…how dare she do that! Sure, last night he felt bad for what he had said to her but now he didn't give a damn. He could care less, or so he kept saying to himself. He tried to convince himself that Casey was a rotten little witch who didn't deserve his time, but despite how many times he repeated that to himself, Derek knew it wasn't true.

In all actuality, he was jealous. He knew Casey didn't deserve his jealousy but deserving or not, she had it.

Lunch was hell for Derek. Somehow, despite the death glare he was sending him, Sam agreed to let Gavin sit with them. Hell, he even said it was a good idea! Derek could have socked him!

"So, Casey are you glad you don't have to teach us today?" Sam asked.

"Well, I did need a break, but I love teaching you guys."

"Even Stephen?"

"Even Stephen."

"Wasn't that a TV show?" Emily asked, absentmindedly, "With that cutie…Shia-what's his name?" No one was listening – or at least not Casey and Gavin.

"How do you like the ring?" Gavin asked.

"I love it," Casey smiled at him. Their eyes were like magnets. They couldn't pull away from each other's stare.

"It looks really good on you."

"Thank you."

"It's true. Isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "It looks nice, Case."

"Thank you," Casey blushed.

"You always look pretty but it makes you look prettier!" Ralph grinned.

"That's sweet, Ralph," Casey smiled.

"Watch it, Ralph," Gavin pointed his finger and glared playfully, "That's my girl you're talkin' to."

"Yeah Ralph, wouldn't want to compliment his girlfriend too much. Might make him jealous and we wouldn't want that," Derek quipped, stabbing the meatloaf on his tray with his fork.

"So what movie are we going to see?" Casey asked, ignoring her stepbrother.

"I was thinking…"

"Why don't you see_ Zombie Death III_?" Derek chimed in, "Case over here _loves_horror." Casey ignored Derek but Emily gave him a swift kick from under the table, "OW!"

"Oh don't be such a baby," Emily shot him a look.

"I'm not being a baby."

"Derek's right," Sam nodded.

"He is?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"He's being a jackass, not a baby."

"Hey!" Derek shot his best friend a look.

"He's always a jackass. What's new?" Casey added.

"Yeah!" Ralph nodded excitedly.

"Way to turn the table against me, Sam," Derek glared at his friend before abruptly standing and storming out of the cafeteria.

Everyone was silent, not daring to say anything. Well, almost everyone.

"Wait, what's a jackass?" Ralph asked.

"Just eat your pizza," Emily told him patiently.

Ralph shut up and nibbled on his rubbery cafeteria pizza. No one said anything. No one really knew what to say.

After school, Casey met Derek by The Prince. She was a few minutes late from staying after and making plans with Gavin. He would pick her up from her house about seven and they'd eat at the food court and then catch an eight-thirty showing of _The Great Gatsby_. Casey was practically giddy with excitement over the date, but something inside her was still a bit queasy. She wondered if maybe she was going too fast and she questioned the possibility of only having agreed to being with Gavin to get Derek out of her head. She slid into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. Derek slumped into the passenger seat and folded his arms over his chest. After a few minutes of driving, Derek finally spoke.

"What the hell are you doing, Casey?"

"What do you mean?" Casey blinked.

"I mean with Gavin. What are you doing with him?"

"I don't understand," Casey kept her eyes on the road, "Gavin is just a sweet guy that asked me out on a date. I said yes because he seems like a genuine guy and I really like him. It'll be fun. Besides, it's just one date, Derek."

"You're wearing his hockey ring."

"I know," Casey took a hand off the steering wheel to touch the gold ring.

"That means something, Case," Derek's voice lost the shadows of acrimony and he sounded genuinely concerned. Casey let her hand drop back to the steering wheel.

She said almost inaudibly, "I know."

"I just…I don't want you agreeing to go out with him to spite what I said last night."

Casey gripped the steering wheel even tighter, _he knows me too well for his own good._

"Derek, I'd never do something like that. It wouldn't be right," Casey felt a pang of guilt stab into her and she winced, hoping Derek didn't notice.

"Yeah, sure," Derek turned to look back out the window but paused and said, "You know, I may not like Gavin – I may think he's a slimebucket, but you know what – if you're only agreeing to go out with him for your own benefit, that's using him Casey and that's just as slimy."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This is one of my favorite chapters. I stayed up writing until 6am this morning and got a shower and went to bed by 7am (crazy, I know, but when the writing bug bites...) it was in the shower that this idea came to me and I wanted to badly to put it to paper but I knew I needed to get some rest. I've been looking forward to getting to this chapter and here it finally is! Please review and let me know what you think! Feedback is always very valued and appreciated :) **

**Chapter Eight**

Derek didn't know why Gavin looked so surprised when he was the one to answer the door at seven o'clock. What did the guy expect? Casey to appear with a freaking red carpet lain out? Derek almost laughed at the shocked look on Gavin's face.

"Derek," Gavin cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure, "I didn't know you'd be here."

"I live here," Derek said plainly, blocking the doorframe by propping his arm up, "What's up, Gavie?"

"Um…just here to pick up Casey for our…uh…date. Is she um…available?"

"I don't know. Casey usually spends this time unwinding from her day. She'll lock herself up in her room for a long, long time and no one knows what she does in…"

"Here I am!" Casey bounced down the stairs, "Derek, thank you for entertaining my date with your _lovely_ fictional tales. Derek is _quite_ the story teller, aren't you, Der?" Casey gave Derek a saccharine smile that Derek exaggerated even more so when he returned it to her, "Gavin, are you ready to go?"

"If you are," Gavin smiled, "You look great, Casey."

"You look great, Casey," Derek mimicked, rolling his eyes.

"Derek, behave," Casey shot him a look.

"Me?" Derek looked offended, "Never!"

"Come on, Gavin. Let's go," Casey stepped to the side trying to pass by Derek but he side-stepped, blocking her exit, "Der-ek! Move!"

"I'm sorry Gavin. You see, the evil step brother is not willing to let the Princess go out with the knight in shining armor unless he must complete the quest."

"Derek, you're being a moron," Casey shoved a curl behind her ear in frustration, "Please move so Gavin and I can go on our date."

"Derek, don't you think you're being a tad ridiculous?" Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"You can't have the Princess until you pass the quests. Everyone who's ever played a video game knows this."

_"Derek, stop it_," Casey hissed, glaring daggers at her stepbrother, "Just let me go."

"Fine," Derek smirked, "If fancy pants over here," he eyes Gavin's perfectly ironed khakis, "can provide the correct passcode, he is free to take the Princess away from the clutches of her evil step brother for the night."

"Derek, this is stupid," Casey rolled her eyes, completely fed up with his antics. She was mortified by his behavior and she could tell that Gavin was just as annoyed. He was standing there awkwardly and she hoped he wasn't regretting his decision to ask her out.

"Derek, if you don't let me pass by here this instant I am going to go get George!"

"Passcode," Derek raised his eyebrow at Gavin.

"That does it!" Casey stormed off to find George, leaving Derek grinning obnoxiously at Gavin. A few minutes later, she returned with George who was not looking very impressed by the scene waiting for him at the front door.

"Derek, this is inexcusable," George shook his head, "I don't know where you got off thinking you could act like this, but we are all fed up. Now move and let Casey get by so she can go and try to have a lovely time on her date and put all of this behind her."

"Dad, he didn't give the passcode."

"_Now_, Derek or I will come over there and move you myself!"

Derek grunted and moved aside so Casey could get by. She shoved past him and headed down the walk with Gavin. Derek could hear her apologize profusely for the way he was acting. He smugly folded his arms over his chest, _maybe now they will have a horrible night and Gavin will regret asking her out and Casey will be all remorseful and anxious and freak him out even more. Venturi, you genius._

"Derek, sit down!" George ordered. Derek rolled his eyes and sat down in his chair knowing that this would not be good.

"I have had it with you!" George folded his arms across his chest, then unfolded them and began to pace around the living room, "I don't know where you suddenly got the notion that you can just act like a jackass and there not be consequences for your behavior. I know I've been lenient on you but you're a good kid, Derek. Or at least I always believed so. You could be obnoxious but I never really disciplined you because I saw that deep down you were good. You had a good head on your shoulders and you cared about people. You did that yourself without any intervening from me so I just decided to let you grow up into your own person. I let you get away with a lot, Derek. I've let so much slide with you these past few years but not anymore. There's going to be some changes, mister!"

"Dad…"

"I am not done speaking to you!"

"Sounds more like you're speaking _at_ me!"

George paused in his tracks and turned to glare at his son, "What did you just say to me?"

Derek sighed, "I said it sounds more like you're speaking _at_ me."

His dad inhaled and Derek could see he was trying to calm down before speaking to him again, "I've had it, Derek. We've all had it. I don't know what is going on and I won't know until you talk to me about it. We've always talked, Der. I just don't understand why these past few months have been so weird with you. You aren't a jerk, Derek and I am sick of you acting like it. Now then, talk to me. Tell me what is going on. If it's a problem, I can my hardest to help you fix it. But I can't help you unless you talk to me."

"I can handle it on my own."

"Obviously you can't because you're taking everyone down with you. What's going on, Derek?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair just as George did the same thing, "I guess I am just stressed," Derek admitted, "The championship game…the scouts…all of it."

"Derek, that's what's been bothering you?" Derek nodded and George sighed, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table across from Derek, "You don't need to stress about that. I know you will because you're driven, but to stress this much isn't healthy, Der. You are a great hockey player. Everyone thinks so. There's a reason Coach appointed you team captain when you were a sophomore."

"A lot of good that got me," Derek adverted his glance.

"Hey," George titled his head so Derek was facing him, "What those seniors did to you…"

"Maybe they had a right," Derek shrugged, "I mean, I was in Grade Nine at the banquet when Coach announced it right before the school year ended. I was going to be the youngest team captain. That spot is only reserved for Grade Twelve players. Now that I'm in Grade Eleven I can kind of get it. I wouldn't be too happy if some dumb kid got the spot I'd wanted for years."

"What they did to you was inexcusable, Derek. You were just a kid…still are," George sighed, "Derek, Coach Samuels wanted you to be his team captain because he saw something in you that he didn't see in anyone else. You do know that, right? He saw that drive and passion you have. I think those scouts will see the same."

"It's my only shot, Dad," Derek sighed, "It's all I've got."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean impressing the scouts is the only way I'd ever be able to get into Queens. I need to get into Queens, Dad. I need to be a Knight."

"Derek, I can't promise you that you will but if you work hard…"

"Don't you get it? Casey has her grades and Sam has his extracurriculars and me? I've got nothing. Nothing but hockey anyway. And I'm fine with that, for the most part. But if I screw up, I'd lose my only chance at going to college."

"So that's what this is about. You think hockey is the only chance you have for getting into a good college?"

Derek nodded, "It's all I have, Dad. It's everything."

At the mall, Casey and Gavin poked in and out of a few stores before making their way to the food court. Casey had apologized for Derek's behavior the whole car ride until Gavin finally told her that it was fine and just to drop it. Casey didn't expect him to snap at her like that, but maybe she was getting a bit annoying with all the apologizing. She just felt bad. The way Derek had acted mortified her. How dare he do something like that! And what was up with that whole princess and the evil stepbrother thing? Casey might have actually found it charming, but it was Derek so she didn't.

After getting their meals at a Japanese Grill, Casey and Gavin took their plates and paper cups over to one of the tables next to a fountain in the middle of the food court. They quietly picked at their food until Casey finally asked –

"So you won the championship?"

"Yeah," Gavin grinned, suddenly coming to life at the mention of hockey, "It was huge. We were down and I scored the winning goal and it was just the best feeling in the world. I felt like I was on the top of the world, Casey. It's um…it's what made Coach Samuels request me."

"What?" Casey's brows drew together in confusion, "I thought you moved here because your dad got transferred."

"Well…I am not really supposed to say this," Gavin lowered his voice, "but Coach Samuels contacted me not too long ago. He told me had a situation and wanted me to transfer to Thompson."

Casey was almost afraid to ask, "What kind of situation?"

"Well, Coach knew Derek was kind of falling behind. He's becoming unstable, Casey. Coach Samuels just wanted to make sure he had all of his bases covered."

"Gavin, what are you talking about?" Casey shoved her plate away, suddenly losing her appetite.

"Well, we both know Derek's been out of control lately, Casey. Coach told me that his current team captain was having some issues with fighting and bad attitude."

"Gavin," Casey kept her voice as level as she could, though it was evident she was straining to, "What. Are you. Talking about?"

"Basically it's like this, if that stepbrother of yours doesn't clean up his act, you're looking at the new team captain," Casey nearly choked on her own salvia when he said it, "Don't look so surprised. Coach just needs to do what is right for the team. I don't mean to brag, but my name is kind of big among the high school hockey coaches. It didn't take much for me to transfer. My parents will make whatever sacrifice needed to boost my hockey career."

The food court suddenly felt very hot and Casey struggled to remember how to breathe. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Surely there must have been some sort of mistake.

"Coach…he wouldn't do that," Casey protested, "He and Derek might get on each other's nerves a lot, but they're very close. He fought to make Derek team captain when he was a sophomore. He…he even made the announcement in front of everyone at the sports banquet when Derek was in Grade Nine," Casey felt very flushed and she struggled to speak, "He…he has a lot of respect for Derek."

"Casey, Derek is unstable. You've seen it. I am sure with you living together you've seen more incidents than Coach Samuels has. Coach is just doing what is best for the team. If that means finding someone more stable and responsible to be team captain, so be it."

Casey pushed her chair back and stood from the table. She almost lost her footing and had to grab on to the table to balance herself. Gavin looked confused.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I-I have to go."

"Why?" Gavin's brows furrowed, "Look, Case don't pretend that…"

"Don't," Casey held up a hand, "Ever call me that."

Gavin looked hurt and confused, "Casey, Coach is just doing what is best for the team."

"Derek is what is best for the team!"

"Casey, we both know…"

"No," Casey grabbed her purse, "You don't know, Gavin. You have no clue. You just got here. If you think you know Derek Venturi at all, you are dead wrong."

"Casey, he's just a loser. Coach is realizing this and wants to make sure he has all his bases covered and has a replacement lined up. Derek is a loser, Casey. I heard him in the locker room – he's a C/D student and he has no ambition…"

"You really don't know anything at all, do you?" Casey shook her head in disbelief, "Derek has more ambition than you even know. I…I have to go, Gavin. Thank you for the dinner. It was nice of you."

"Where do you think you're going?" Gavin asked, "We have a date."

"No, no we don't," Casey ripped the necklace from her neck and tossed it at him, "Take your hockey ring, Gavin. Those things make me sick anyway," Casey shuddered. She hadn't known Derek when he had been attacked by the senior players, but she had heard about it from Edwin not long after they had moved in. Every time she saw the scar on his forehead, it made her shiver.

"Casey, come on. We don't have to let this get in between us. It's Derek!"

"Exactly," Casey turned on her heel, "It's Derek."

She had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew she had to get away from Gavin. She couldn't stand to look at him without wanting to throw up. After ducking into the women's restroom, she sunk down on one of the couches and put her head in her hands. She knew she needed to get a ride and dug her cellphone from her purse. As soon as she clicked it awake, a text message appeared on her screen.

"I'm sorry. Can we talk tonight after your date? I'll provide milk and Oreos."

A sad smile crossed her face and Casey had to blink back tears. How could they do this to Derek? It made her sick. She knew she needed to talk to Coach as soon as possible, but for now, she just needed a ride home. She clicked Derek's name above the text and held her phone to her ear.

"Hey," he sounded surprised to hear from her.

"Derek…"

"What is it?" His voice went from surprise to concern in less than a second, "What's wrong, Case?"

"I…I need a ride home."

There only sound on the other end was an intake of breath. Casey sighed and asked, "Are you still there?"

"I'm going to kill him."

"Derek…no. Just…come get me."

There was another brief pause and finally, "Okay. Where should I get you?"

"Just outside the main entrance," Casey blinked to keep the tears from falling. She hoped Derek couldn't hear the choked back sob in her throat, but he had. He always did.

"Are you crying?"

"No…no! Everything is…fine."

"Liar. We'll talk about that later. I'll be there in ten minutes, alright?"

"Alright."

Casey hung up and made her way over to the sink. She splashed some cold water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror. _How could I be such a fool? How could I ever have thought that Gavin was a nice guy? He's a jerk, a jerk like all the rest. _

After a few moments of trying to compose herself, Casey headed outside to wait for Derek. Luckily, she didn't see Gavin anywhere. She leaned against a large potted plant, and waited for The Prince to pull up. A few moments later, it did. She hurried over and slipped inside to the passenger seat.

"Case…"

"Just drive."

Derek pursed his lips. There was so much he wanted to ask her, but didn't. He glanced over at the girl next to him, staring into her lap in an attempt to hide her tears from him. "Okay, Case," he said, pulling The Prince out of the parking lot and away from the mall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The car ride had been silent. Derek had gripped the steering wheel with images of beating the crap out of Gavin filling his mind. What was wrong with that little punk, thinking he could hurt Casey like that? Derek was desperate to know what happened but knew better than to push it. Instead, he continued to drive in silence. The only sounds were a few sporadic sniffles coming from the passenger seat. She was facing the window, her hair falling into a curtain in front of her face. She was trying to hide her tears. Derek didn't do tears well. Especially when it was Casey. There was just something about Casey being hurt to the point to tears that made him want to go ballistic with rage and do whatever he could to fix it. Casey didn't deserve to be hurt that way. He shot sly glances her way, wanting to comfort her but having no idea how. When they got home, Casey threw her coat over the hook and hurried towards the stairs. Derek side-stepped and blocked her way; he put his hands on her shoulders in the way he had a habit of doing more often than he would ever admit. Casey almost caved at the sensation of the weight of his hands on her shoulders. Derek had no idea how comforting it was to her whenever he would do that. She almost swooned and then balanced herself, hoping Derek hadn't noticed. She didn't lift her eyes from the floor in hopes of trying to conceal her tears. Derek wasn't having any of it. He ducked his head in an attempt to make her eyes meet his.

"Case, look at me."

"Derek…"

"Look at me," he commanded. Casey sniffled and looked up. When Derek saw the tears building up in her eyes, he swore he felt like someone had just punched him in the heart. There was no way that Gavin kid was going to make Casey cry and get away with it. She looked so fragile – as if his very touch was going to cause her to shatter. Derek frowned, hating Gavin more and more with each passing second.

"What happened?" Derek asked, "Talk to me, Case."

"It's nothing," Casey tried to feign laughter and she shook some hair from her face, "Really, it's no big deal. I'm just being ridiculous. It's…it's nothing."

Derek knew better. He shook his head and wished he could get her to open up to him. Sometimes she would and other times it was a bit more difficult. There were times when she would just barge into his bedroom at all hours just to vent to him because she knew, despite his yelling and threats, that after a minute or two he'd give in and let her stay and listen to her ranting. There were other times though that she would retreat into her little Casey shell and not emerge for quite some time. Derek hated those times. He wanted her to tell him everything that had happened. He promised himself he wouldn't run off to break Gavin's nose until he had listened to everything Casey had to say.

"Sit," Derek led her over to the couch, "I'll be right back."

Casey sunk down into the couch and leaned against the arm. She had no idea how to explain any of this to Derek. She knew she needed to talk to Coach Samuels before telling Derek any of the things she had heard from Gavin. She also knew Derek would be relentless unless she finally gave in and told him something. She cradled her forehead in her palm and just wanted to erase everything that had happened that night. A few moments later, Derek emerged from the kitchen with a carton milk and Oreos – their usual late night snack of choice.

"Oreo?" Derek asked, handing her the plastic cartoon. Casey nodded, pulling one from inside. She pulled it apart and scraped the cream off with her front teeth. Derek took an Oreo for himself and sat back in his chair. He decided to wait as patiently as he could. Casey would talk to him when she was ready to and he knew not to push her. Instead, he decided to talk about his night with her. Maybe some conversation would get the ball rolling. At the very least, it'd be better than the maddening silence currently between them.

"I um…I talked to my dad tonight," Derek followed her suit and scraped the cream off the inside of his Oreo, "We had a good talk for the first time in a long time. I'm still grounded for like a month, but it was nice to just talk to him. I'm sorry I've been a jackass lately. It's just I'm stressed with this championship coming up in a few weeks. It's just so much pressure, Case. If I want to get into my dream school, those scouts at that game will be my only real shot. I'm sorry I've been even more of a jerk to everyone. I can be a bit of an ass when I'm worked up about something."

"It's okay," Casey attempted a smile, "You're forgiven."

"Just like that?" Derek frowned, wondering how it could be so simple. He had been a complete and utter jerk. How could Casey just forgive him as if nothing had happened?

"Just like that," she smiled another sad, tight smile that caused another pang in Derek's heart. _I really need to lay off those bean burritos..._

"I knew something was bothering you," Casey took another Oreo, "You can be a complete jerk sometimes, but you're never like that unless something is really eating away at you. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with that. Did you get any cups? For the milk?"

"What?" A small smirk lifted at the corner of Derek's lip, "Can't you drink milk from the carton?"

"Derek, that's vile!"

"Come on," he urged, opening the carton and passing it to her, "Kick back a little, Case. Everyone else has gone to bed – it's just you and me. Just kick back and drink from the carton. It's not going to kill you."

"Other people have to drink from this milk, Derek."

"It's almost out," he shrugged, "We'd just finish it off. Come on."

Casey sighed, rolled her eyes, and for the first time in her life drank from the milk carton. Derek beamed with pride and even gave her a fist-bump for her accomplishment. Casey warmed up a little after that, and Derek could almost see her head peeking out of her Casey shell when she said –

"I _cannot_ believe I just did that!"

"What can I say, Spacey?" Derek grinned, "You take after me more than you think."

"I do not!" Casey objected, a small smile lighting her face.

"Hey," Derek pulled the corner of his lower lip between his teeth, fighting the urge to smile back at her, "There it is."

"What?"

"You're smile."

Casey blushed and suddenly her attention fell to chipping some of the nailpolish on her fingernails. Derek wondered if he had crossed some sort of line in saying that.

"Thank you, Derek."

"For what?"

"For just making everything better."

Derek didn't even try to fight his smile, "Do you want to talk about what happened tonight or am I going to have to go pummel Gavin to get some answers from the little prick?"

"It's not that big of a deal. He just…he was just a jerk. He wasn't who I thought he was. It wasn't even that he was mean to me or that he crossed any sort of boundaries, but he just was a liar and not the person he led me to believe."

Derek frowned, "Want me to go have a chat with him?"

"No, it's fine. I can deal with it. Thank you though."

"Sure thing. But if you change your mind, I am completely cool with getting to beat his face in."

"You would not."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You'd probably slam him against his locker and threaten him a bunch, but you wouldn't actually hit him."

"Hey, if he did something…"

"No, Derek. It's a good thing. I am glad you're not one of those guys."

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, brushing some bangs out of his eyes. When he did so, his scar was visible and caught Casey's attention. She didn't know what made herself do it, but she reached out and lightly ran her fingertips along the raised, pink flesh.

"One of _those_ guys," she said, simply.

Derek surprisingly didn't pull away from her touch. He, instead, grabbed her wrist and gently lowered her hand from his forehead. He brushed the bangs back over the scar and shrugged indifferently.

Casey bothered her lower lip between her teeth. She had heard about the incident from everyone else but Derek. Derek sighed and grabbed the back of his neck – a habit of his when he was nervous or upset about something. Casey hoped she hadn't upset him in saying that. She didn't even know where it had come from. Sometimes, things just had a way of spilling out of her mouth like a faucet had been turned on.

"It was my first sports banquet," Derek adverted his gaze, "And I was a complete wreck. Hockey was my life and I wore a suit and everything. Well, at the banquet, I sat with the rest of the team at our designated table and Coach went up to the front of the gym to announce the awards from the previous season. I was first string. I was the only underclassman that was. I knew I'd get some award, I just didn't know he was planning to announce me as team captain for the next year. When he did, not very many people clapped. I walked up to the stage to accept my award and thank him for the honor of being team captain. When I looked out at everyone in the audience, they looked like they hated me, Case. I mean, can you blame them? Some stupid little freshman being awarded with the title of 'Team Captain.' That never happens."

Casey bit at her lower lip harder, unsure if she was prepared for the next part of Derek's story. It pained her when she had heard it from everyone else, but she wasn't sure if she could handle hearing it from Derek himself.

"The next week was the last week of school before summer. I had stayed after to talk to Coach for a bit. When I left his office, they were waiting for me. They um…they dragged me into the storage closet of the gym and pinned me against the wall. They kept asking me why a niner slime like me could ever think he'd ever be team captain. I tried to fight them off, but there were four of them against me. They started hitting me over and over again. One of them hit me in the forehead with his hockey ring. It left a huge gash. I was about to pass out when Coach came in and broke them up. I was a mess. He took me to the hospital and called my parents. Nine stiches, who'd have thought a hockey ring could do so much damage?" He laughed a dry laugh and Casey winced.

"Derek…I am so sorry."

Derek shrugged, "I lived. Anyway, Coach wanted to throw them off the team but their parents protested. Somehow they twisted it so that I had antagonized them. The whole thing was right after my parents split so I wasn't really in the best of places mentally. I had a reputation of being kind of a jackass. So it was easy for them to pin it on me. Coach knew better, but the school board took their side. My first year of being team captain was rough. No one took me seriously. But somehow, at that year's banquet, Coach announced that I would be team captain again the following year. He took a lot of flack for making me team captain. He was up for some pretty prestigious awards from different boards of directors and such, and he lost out because everyone thought I was an error in his judgment. I guess it wasn't so bad – all that stuff, it made me a better player because I wanted to prove something to everyone and to myself. I wanted to prove that Coach hadn't made a mistake in picking me."

"He didn't," a small smile crossed her face, and Derek ran a hand through his hair.

"I hope not. I've been such a jackass about everything lately. I've just been so on edge with these scouts and the championship. I just don't know what to do, Case. I'm worried I really screwed up. I don't know how to prove it to Coach after my behavior lately. I mean, I got into fights with my own team. That's…that's bad."

"Just work at it. Be the best team captain you can be and show Coach that you're still the best choice. He saw something in you when he picked you as Captain, Derek. Just…please work at showing him that you still have that something."

"Thanks, Case. I will. Tomorrow, I'll definitely work at controlling my temper better. And I guess…" Derek shuddered at the word, "my maturity."

"You don't have been super mature," Casey explained, "just show him that you can be a responsible and strong leader. You can still kick back and have and be you. But just be that team captain Coach Samuels knows you can be," her voice snagged as she spoke, and she hoped Derek just took it as her being tired from crying earlier. How could she ever tell him what Gavin had said – especially now that he had shared all of this with her? Hockey was his everything. There was no way Casey was going to let that be taken away. First thing in the morning, she was going to march herself into Coach Samuel's office and demand an explanation.

"So, are you going to tell me any more about what happened tonight?" Derek asked.

Casey shook her head, "I can handle it. If I need anything, I know I can come to you but for now, let me try to sort this out on my own, okay?"

"If you say so," Derek shrugged, "but the second you can't handle it on your own, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Derek."

"No problem. And thanks for listening to me about all of my stuff. You aren't uh…half bad," again, he ran his hand through his hair. Casey smiled. If they had been anyone else, they might have shared a hug but they weren't anyone else. They were Casey and Derek, and instead of a hug –

"You know, you got black goop all over your face from all that crying?"

"I know, Derek. Thank you _ever so_ much for pointing that out…"

"You should wear it like that more often," Derek smirked, "It makes your face look better."

Casey scoffed, "Jerk!"

"Come on, Case. Jerk? You can come up with something better than that."

"You…you…turd burger!"

"_Turd burger!_" Derek exploded into laugher and Casey couldn't help but join in, "What the hell, Case! Turd burger?"

"I…I was trying to think on my feet."

"Turd burger," Derek chuckled, "I'm going to have to remember that one. Well, I'm going to go hit they hay. You gonna stay up a bit longer?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup. Goodnight, turd burger."

"You can't steal my insults!"

"Casey, Casey, Casey, I take what I want. Including your crappy insults."

"But…"

"Or are you forgetting – in my house, I _always_ get what I want," Derek eyed her up and down before running up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Casey fumed. She had no idea what he meant by that comment, or by the way he was staring at her but it made her flush. _He was just saying that to get a rise out of me, _Casey tried to sound convincing, _that's it – nothing more. Just Derek trying to get under my skin. _

The next morning, Casey drove them to school early. She had told Derek that they needed to go in early so she could talk to one of her teachers about an assignment. Derek bugged her a bit about being a keener and wanting to get to school early, but didn't push the matter. Once at school, Casey booked it straight to Coach Samuel's office. She wanted some answers and like Derek, when she could be persuasive enough, she _always_ got what she wanted.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I like to build up Dasey rather than just smoosh them together, so be patient. More Dasey is coming. Also more dance as well in the upcoming chapter. I hope you enjoy this one! **

**Chapter Ten**

"What is wrong with you?" Casey stormed into Coach Samuel's office.

"Casey?" He glanced up from writing some notes down on his clipboard, clearly surprised by her presence and her outburst, "I know that I've known your family for some time, but I am still faculty and you are still a student. To talk to me like that is completely unacceptable."

"Is it?" Casey folded her arms across her chest, "Because I am going to _keep_ talking to you like this until I am _absolutely certain_ that I have your _complete_ _and undivided_ attention. Am I clear?"

Coach Samuels blinked, "What would you like to discuss with me, Miss McDonald?"

"I happened to hear some information pertaining to a _certain_ stepbrother of mine that caused me a bit of alarm from a _certain_ new transfer student," Casey raised an eyebrow and scrutinized Coach Samuels for a reaction. He leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face, sighing.

"What did you hear, Casey?"

"Gavin told me that if Derek didn't straighten up, he was going to be his replacement. But I know that can't _possibly_ be true because Derek has been one of the _best_ things to happen to the Thompson hockey team. He is a _great_ captain and leader and it would be _absolutely_ ridiculous for you to try to find him a replacement. It just doesn't make sense."

"Casey," Coach sighed, gathering his thoughts, "Your brother…"

"Stepbrother."

"Stepbrother," he corrected, "has had a lot of issues lately. I just don't know if his head is in it or not. When I named him team captain when he was fifteen, I got a lot of crap for it. A lot of people questioned my decision but I never did. I knew Derek was the perfect team captain – he has excellent drive and ambition and passion. But lately, I just don't know if he is the right choice. He seems to be going through a lot and I am always going to stand by him and support him, but if he needs to take some time to sort out some stuff, then I need to have a backup plan."

"Derek doesn't need time to sort out some stuff!" Casey glared at Coach, "What he _needs_ is to keep playing hockey and to keep being your team captain. He's just under a lot of pressure because of those scouts at the championship which I am _undoubtedly_ sure you will win. Which _he_ will win. He's been a bit of a jerk and hasn't used the best judgment, but he loves hockey and he loves being the team captain and there is _no way_ I am just going to let you take that away from him!"

"_Let me?_" Coach Samuels raised his eyebrows and it was then that Casey realized she had been yelling at a member of the school faculty.

"Oh goodness," she sunk down into the chair, "I don't know what came over me. I've never…I've never spoken to an adult like that. I…I'm sorry…"

Coach sighed and shook his head, "Miss McDonald, it is evident to me that you and Derek are quite a lot a lot alike when it comes to certain qualities. You are both driven people who are very passionate about what they do and the people they care about."

Casey was taken back, "Um…I don't…I don't care about Derek, Coach Samuels."

"Oh really?" Coach was far from convinced, "Because this little display proved otherwise. In fact, I'd venture to say that you care about him quite a lot. That's good. Derek needs people rooting for him right now. I know he's stressed. I know he's under a lot of pressure. But that is no excuse for how he behaved lately. His outbursts and inability to work together with the team…"

"He'll fix that," Casey said assuredly, "Trust me. Just don't replace him. _Please_ don't replace him."

"After dance today, have him stop by my office. I want to chat with him."

"Please, Coach!"

"Casey, I've already made up my mind. Now then, please get to class."

The rest of the day was maddening for her. She honestly thought about going back to talk to Coach at lunch but knew that probably wouldn't get her anywhere. He had already made his decision; Casey just hoped it was the right one. She ate lunch that afternoon with Derek, Sam, Ralph, and Emily. Gavin was nowhere to be seen. Casey had called Emily before going to bed the night before and had filled her in with the details and had made her swear up and down not to tell anyone – especially Derek.

"Ugh," Emily grimaced, "Don't look now, but there's that Jerkface!"

Casey turned and saw Gavin flirting with another brunette. She grimaced and shook her head, "I can't believe him."

"Be right back," Derek slid his chair back, stood, and walked over to Gavin.

"Oh no," Casey winced, "This is not going to be good."

"What happened between you two anyway?" Ralph asked, "Yesterday you were fine."

"During our date, I just realized he wasn't the guy I thought he was," Casey explained, "He's a jerk. I wouldn't want to waste my time on him anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Sam tried to sound encouraging.

Casey watched as Derek approached Gavin. He walked up to where Gavin was sitting and tapped him on the shoulder. Gavin turned around, seemingly surprised to see Derek standing there.

"Hey D-man! What's up?"

"You, me, chat, _now_!" Derek practically pulled Gavin up from his seat.

"What do you want, Venturi?" Gavin brushed himself off, looking Derek square in the eye.

"Here's the thing, _G-man_," Derek sneered, "When the evil stepbrother allows the princess to accompany the knight in shining armor on a date, he doesn't really like it when he gets a phone call from her in tears asking him to come pick her up. Nor does he like it when she cries all the way home getting her mascara stains on his upholstery. Got it, _G-man?_"

"I am sure she was just being dramatic…"

"That may be," Derek nodded, "She can be quite the drama queen sometimes. But here's the thing, G-man – no one, and I repeat _no one_, makes Casey McDonald cry. Got it?"

"D…"

"No. You may think it's cool to do whatever you did to her last night, but you aren't the one that has to clean up the mess and pick up the pieces. One day, you're going to have a girl in your life – girlfriend, daughter, niece, wife, whatever – and when you see that girl cry, your whole world ends. It's not pretty. Just about as ugly as the black goop that mixes with the tears on her face. Then you'll realize that it's a shit move to make a girl cry, jackass. I just hope you realize that sooner than later."

"Derek…"

"Oh," Derek turned just as he was about to walk away, "If you _ever_ call me D-man or even get within five feet of Casey ever again, you'll have to visit a proctologist to extract that stupid hockey ring out of your ass. Understand,_ G-man?_"

Derek grinned, turning and heading back towards his lunch table. He popped his collar, impressed with his speech. When he sat back down, everyone wanted to know what he said to make Gavin go pale like he did.

"Oh, I just had a little talk to him _mano-a-mano_," Derek shrugged, popping a tater tot into his mouth, "No biggie. Hey, Raphie, you gonna eat your pudding?"

That afternoon, Casey met the hockey team in the gym for one last dance lesson before their game that Saturday night. Gavin turned away the second she walked into the gym. She was surprised to see everyone lined up in their places she assigned them for their stretching. Derek was front and center.

"Hey guys," Casey smiled, clearly impressed, "Today we are going to do something fun. I figured you could all use just a chill-day before the game tomorrow. So here's the deal, after we finish our stretches, I am going to pop in a CD and you are going to have free-dance. That means you can dance anyway you want to. You can be as goofy as you want or as serious as you want. I think it'll be a good way for us all to loosen up before tomorrow. Now then, let's get started."

After stretches, Casey put her CD and the music began to fill the gym. At first some of the guys just stood there looking a little lost. Sam bopped his head in time to the music, and Aaron was tapping his toe to the beat but that was it. Casey frowned – maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Did she really expect a hockey team to just start dancing around the gym as if it were no big deal? Casey sighed. She felt like an idiot for making this decision.

Derek recognized the music instantly. Casey was always playing it around Christmas time and dancing around the house like an idiot. He glanced over at her and saw her floundering. He nudged Sam roughly in the ribs. Sam glared daggers at him, knowing what Derek was asking. Finally he gave in and began to walk around the gym, bopping his head to the music. Derek glared at Aaron next, who sheepishly joined Sam. It still wasn't enough though. Casey was turning a shade of pink and no one else was making any sort of move. Derek exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and ran up to Casey and grabbed her.

"Derek! What are you doing?"

"Dancing, what does it look like I'm doing," he grabbed her hand in his and put his other on her waist. There were many things Derek Venturi was bad at, but surprisingly dancing wasn't one of them. He and Casey danced/skipped around the gym in time to the music. None of the guys dared laugh, all knowing if they did, they would have to face Derek. Eventually, they joined in as well. Some of them danced like it was a school dance others attempted ballet. Casey honestly didn't care what they were doing as long as they were giving it a try. The song changed and another upbeat song sounded throughout the gym.

"Thank you, Derek," Casey laughed as he spun her, "This means a lot."

"Sure thing," Derek grinned, pulling her just a tad closer to him, "You know, if you're not careful, Spacey, someone might mistake you for being beautiful when you dance."

"Really?" Casey raised an eyebrow, "Just when I dance?"

"You know what I mean." Derek growled and Casey felt a little sorry she hadn't just accepted the closest thing to a compliment Derek had ever given her. Why couldn't she have just smiled and thanked him? Casey mentally kicked herself.

Suddenly, the music stopped playing and Casey realized that they had gone through the CD already. She pulled away from Derek and went over to her CD player and popped out the disk.

"Well then, I guess that's it for today. Guys, good luck tomorrow. I'll be rooting for you, alright? Oh, and Derek – Coach wanted me to tell you to meet him in his office right before practice."

She tried not to sound too concerned when she said it. For a brief moment, during dance lessons, she had forgotten about Coach's decision. Now, suddenly being reminded again, she felt nauseous. Derek had seemed like he was genuinely having a good time in dance class and when they danced together…Casey shook her head – _it was nothing. Derek was just being nice. Sure he can be a jerk, but there's a lot of times where Derek is genuinely a good guy and right now was one of them. It doesn't mean anything. But he did look happy when we danced. He was smiling and I…I almost forgot all about Gavin and Coach. But now…now Derek's going to have to go in there and face him. Gosh, I hope Coach makes the right decision. If not, I swear he'll be hearing from me!_

Derek knocked on the doorframe of Coach Samuel's office and Coach waved him in and instructed him to take a seat.

"Casey says you wanted to see me, sir?"

"Ah yes, Casey," Derek swore he thought he saw Coach shudder, "I called you in here today because I wanted to discuss something of importance with you, Venturi. Now then, as you and I both know, your behavior recently has not been up to par. You have not shown the leadership traits I saw in you when I asked you to be my captain."

"I know, sir. I'm sorry about that."

"Let me finish. This isn't easy for me to say, Derek, but I needed to do what was in the best interest of the team. You just didn't seem in a good place and I needed a player that would show leadership and responsibility. You just weren't doing that. So I asked around and I requested that Gavin come on and join the team just to cover my bases."

"What are you saying, Coach?" Derek's brows furrowed and he felt his pulse quicken.

"Derek, I wanted to have a replacement player lined up for you in case I felt that you could no longer handle the job as captain and center. Now then, I was all set to make this decision especially after the fight in last weekend's game. You showed great irresponsibility and immaturity…"

"Sir…"

"I'm not finished yet, Venturi. Gavin is a great player. He won the championship game for his high school last year and I had to pull some strings to have him come to Thompson. I made him promise not to tell anyone about any of this but apparently he let it slip to Casey last night that I was planning to replace you."

Derek felt dizzy and he ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't think straight and was glad Coach was so adamant about him not speaking yet – it gave him some time to try and gather his thoughts. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For the past few years, Coach Samuels had fought for and believed in him. Now, Derek felt that crumbling around him. He could see his whole world being taken away from him – no more hockey, no more scouts, no more shot at a good college. Everything would be gone. Was that what had caused Casey to be so upset the night before?

"I was still debating my decision until this morning when I had a rather rude visit from your sister…"

_Oh no…_

Derek winced, "Stepsister."

"Whatever!" Coach rolled his eyes, "She stormed in here like hell was at her heels and she yelled at me. _She actually yelled at me_."

"What?" Derek's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. If he wasn't so concerned about his hockey career, he'd have actually thought the mental image of Casey running in here and yelling at Coach was pretty amusing. No one yelled at Coach – ever. He was the one that did the yelling. Everyone else just shut up and complied or else.

"Yes, she came in here and really tore into me for even questioning my decision of you being team captain. Now, I don't admit stuff like this much but she was pretty terrifying."

Derek allowed himself a small smile, "Yeah, she can be at times."

"She's a lot like you, Derek."

_Casey? Like me? No way. We have absolutely nothing in common. Coach is off his rocker! _"Um…how so, sir?"

"You're both very driven and passionate about what you do and the people you care about."

"Casey doesn't care about me," Derek scoffed at the very suggestion, "She can't stand me half the time."

"Yeah, well she came in here pretty much risking months' worth of detention for speaking to me the way she did just to stick up for your sorry ass, Venturi. Call me mistaken, but I think that's caring about someone. I had my mind pretty much made up until she came in here and convinced me otherwise."

Derek winced, dreading Coach's verdict.

"Now then, get your butt out there on that ice and prove to me that you can be the team captain she – and I – know you can be."

Relief flooded Derek's face and his eyes widened in disbelief, "Coach…"

"Now, Venturi. Before I make you run laps!"

"Yes, Coach!" Derek anxiously stood from the chair and turned to head out of Coach's office.

"And Venturi?" Coach Samuels stopped him.

"Yes, Coach?"

"You're one lucky son of a gun, kid – having someone like Miss McDonald rooting for you."

Derek was still overcome with disbelief, but managed to nod and say, "I know."

"I've coached for twenty years, kid. I've never seen anyone believe in any of my players and stand up for them the way she did today. She's something special."

"I know, Coach."

"But you tell her if she ever tries talking to me like that again, she'll be serving detention for a month!"

**Author's Note: So what do you think so far? I love it so much and I love sharing it with you. Here's a list of some of the music that I use as inspiration in regards to Casey's dance classes. It's really good if you care to check any of it out: **

**Don Quijote Pas de Deux, Act III  
Nutcracker Party Scene Music  
****Mozart K.365 Concert for two pianos in E-flat 3rd mov. Allegro  
****Mozart String Quartet 17 'hunt' on period instruments (1/5)  
****Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 [complete]  
****Bizet - Habanera (Carmen) instrumental**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven **

Casey was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement as she waited for Derek by The Prince. She couldn't wait to hear what Coach had said to him and hoped that it was good news. _I swear, if he thinks he can replace Derek without me having to say something about it, he is so wrong! I will march right back in there and…_

"Derek!" Derek shrugged his gym bag onto his shoulder as he sauntered over to the car. As soon as she saw him, Casey jumped and ran over to him.

"Whoa," Derek quickly side-stepped before she collided into him, "Happy to see me, Spacey?"

Casey rolled her eyes, _surely he wouldn't be making his usual teasing remarks if he had bad news, right? Oh, just ask him already Casey! Before you drive yourself insane – not that it's a far drive…_

"How did your meeting with Coach go?" She asked as they walked over to The Prince together. She was still practically jumping up and down and Derek couldn't help but let a small smile lift at the corner of his lips. He imagined her storming into Coach Samuel's office and yelling at him and couldn't blame Coach for being a little frightened of her. Still, it meant a lot to him that she had gone through the trouble and risk of detention to stand up for him. No one had ever done that for him before, and Derek was both surprised and touched.

"It was…interesting," Derek smirked as he tossed his bags into the backseat.

"Interesting how?"

"Well…he happened to share some interesting information with me, Casey."

"Is…is that so?" Casey tried to sound nonchalant as she turned the key in the ignition and tossed some hair over her shoulder, "What kind of um…interesting information?"

"Oh, that some asshole told my stepsister he was replacing me as the captain of the hockey team and that that certain stepsister barged into his office like hell was at her heels and really tore him a new one," Derek ducked his head and raised his eyebrow at Casey, "You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?"

"I-I don't know what he could possibly be talking about. Why would I even care, Derek? I mean, come on! Really?"

Derek smirked as Casey huffed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. He kept eyeing with a raised eyebrow.

"But just out of curiosity," Casey didn't take her eyes off the road, "what did Coach say? Are you being replaced?"

"Well that's the thing," Derek's smirk turned into a small grin, "You see, Coach said he had his mind completely made up until that certain stepsister stormed in and yelled at him."

_Oh no…_Casey winced and hoped Derek hadn't noticed, "Is that um…so?"

"Yup. He told me to get out there on that ice and be the team captain she knows I can be."

A huge smile crossed Casey's face and she seemed to almost radiate, "Really?"

"Mmhmm. Still don't know anything about that, do you?"

"Nope, not a thing," Casey beamed. Derek grinned and shook his head. They continued the drive in silence. Casey smiling the whole time, still not taking her eyes off the road to glance at Derek. _I knew there was nothing to worry about! There was no way Coach would ever replace Derek! Besides, I think I kind of scared him with my ranting – but he deserved it! No one can replace Derek – no one!_

When they were almost to their house, Derek finally said, "You know, it means a lot, Case."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Casey tried to cover.

"No one's ever done anything like that for me before. It just means a lot that you went through that trouble for me. You could have gotten months' detention for talking to Coach like you did, but risked that to stand up for me. That's pretty awesome, Case."

Casey bit her lip to unsuccessfully hide a smile, "Well, no one can replace Derek Venturi."

Derek grabbed his bottom lip between his teeth and turned to look out the window. He tried to ignore just how adorable Casey was when she tried to be indifferent. He still couldn't believe that she had done what she had for him. _It's so un-Casey like…but is it? Is it really? I mean I sacrificed to help her with her dance competition. Maybe it's just what we do. I mean, I know I drive her crazy but she's always there for me and it's the same for me. I know I say I hate her, but it's complicated. She's complicated! How is that one person can be the most annoying and also the most wonderful thing in my life? Pull it together, Venturi. You're talkin' crazy! It's Casey! She's not wonderful. She's Casey! She's obnoxious and preppy and a keener and a total loser and she's annoying and she's obnoxious…okay, now you're just repeating yourself. Come on, think up something bad about her! You can do it. Hell, you could write a book on all the bad things about Casey McDonald if you actually had the diligence to write a whole book. Come on, Venturi, think! Bad things about Casey and…go! Hmm…well, she is obnoxious sometimes – you've already said that. Come on, you can name hundreds of things that you hate about her! _But he was stuck. There wasn't one thing he could think of that he genuinely disliked about Casey. When it came down to it, she wasn't that bad. In fact, she was pretty great. Derek owed her so much for what she had done for him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Casey asked, turning to Derek.

_Crap! I wasn't staring, was I? No, of course not. There's no way… _"Um…nothing," Derek turned back and stared out his window again. Casey swore she thought she saw a hint of flush on his cheeks, but chalked that up to him being worn out from practice. She pulled The Prince into the driveway and turned off the ignition. Derek was about to hop out when she stopped him.

"Hey, Derek."

"Hey, Case?"

"You know I um…I have your back, right?"

Derek gifted her with one of his very rare, genuine smiles and said, "I know Case. And I have yours."

"Always," she added, adamantly.

"Always."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"Casey, come on! We're going to be late!" Lizzie shouted outside her door.

"Be right there," Casey shouted back before returning to her vanity. She stared at her reflection, pouting for a moment with displeasure at what she saw. Normally she wouldn't have cared that her hair wasn't curling just so for a hockey game. But for some reason, tonight was different. She scowled and tried to adjust a bobby pin only to look on in horror as a curl fell right down the middle of her face. She huffed and giving up, tossed her curls up in a high pony tail. It'd just have to do. She always cared about her making good impressions with her looks but whenever she went to Derek's hockey games, she normally didn't put in so much effort as she was now. It confused and annoyed her. She turned in the mirror and glared at her reflection scrutinizing. Besides her hair being a mess, her favorite blue sweater had a stain on it and she had to settle for wearing just a sweatshirt with her jeans. She spritzed some body spray on her neck and decided she looked as good as it was going to possibly get.

"Casey, now!" Nora called.

"Coming!" Casey grabbed her purse off her bed and hurried downstairs. Her family was already waiting for her by the stairs. Derek had been given permission to take The Prince so he could get there early and go out with his friends after the game. It was his first outing after being grounded for his actions last weekend and he hadn't even bothered to hide doing a celebratory dance around the living room with Marti in his arms.

In the car ride to the school, Casey felt a tad nervous. She hadn't had much of a chance to work with the boys like she had been hoping, and she knew she needed to step it up on Tuesday. Besides, they needed to work on their choreography and they hadn't even begun learning the dance she wanted them to do. She just hoped that tonight's game would go better than last weekend's. Derek was at least in a good mood so that was encouraging. When they got to the rink, the McDonald/Venturi clan took their usual seats while Casey excused herself. She headed over to the bench where the Thompson Bulldogs were sitting. She stood behind Coach Samuels until he was done giving his pep talk.

"Alright boys," he said, "Tonight, I expect excellence out of you, understand? The championship is four games away after this one and I want nothing but the best from you. I trust that your behavior will be far superior to last weekends…ah!" He jumped a little to the side. Derek snickered. "Casey! Hi! Um…is there something I can help you with?" Coach turned a shade of beet red and tried to regain his composure as best he could.

"Oh, I just wanted to wish the guys good luck out there tonight."

"Thanks, Casey," Sam smiled at her.

"We'll kick ass for you," Stephen grinned and raised his fist for her to bump.

"Anyway, I better go back to my seat, but I just wanted to let you know that I have the utmost confidence in all of you," she said before excusing herself and scurrying back over to her seat.

"Well then," Coach cleared his throat, "Wasn't that nice of Miss McDonald? Okay gentlemen, the game starts in five minutes. Now then, I'm rooting for you. Don't disappoint me again, got it?"

"Coach, can I say something?" Derek raised his hand.

"Sure thing, Venturi – but make it quick."

"I know what happened last week was because I was being a jackass, but I don't want anything like that happening again, got it? It was my fault, but we all screwed up in fighting with each other. That's not going to happen again, is it? The championship game is coming up soon and I intend for us to go and for us to win. Is that understood? So if anyone decides he's going to be jackass out there tonight – including me – that's fine. Be a jackass. Make an idiot of yourself. But just know that if you do decide to take that route, you'll be running drills until you'd wish your legs would fall off. Got it?"

The team agreed in unison that they'd straighten up. Dealing with Coach when he was angry was bad enough, but no one wanted to face Derek Venturi. Coach blew his whistle and they headed out to the ice. Derek skated to the middle of the rink to face off with the center from the opposing team – Adams High. He turned to the stand to look for his family like he did every game. They were sitting in their usual spot, front and center of their team's goal. He nodded to them, and they waved. He thought he could hear Marti shout, "You Go, Smerek!" over the rest of the crowd. He grinned. Tonight was definitely going to be different from last week.

The game started and Casey cheered with the rest of her family like she ddi with every other game, but tonight's game was different. Normally, she watched each player equally except for that time that Sam was her focus. Tonight though, she focused all of her attention on the center. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and it was the one time she felt doing so. He'd never know she watching. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip and watched him skate and score the first goal. The whole crowed cheered. She jumped up with the rest of her family to clap and cheer and he turned around and for a brief moment, his eyes caught hers. Casey blushed and she thought she could see a smile from behind his helmet, but she shook off that thought and sat back down in the bleechers.

"Casey, you've never been this into a game before," Lizzie pointed out.

Casey shrugged, "Since I am working with the team now, I feel like I should get into it, you know?"

Lizzie shrugged and went back to watching the game. Casey's attention landed on Derek once again. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and wondered what the heck she was doing. She hadn't paid this much attention to Derek ever. Now she found him being the one constant on her mind. _Stupid, obnoxious Derek taking over my thoughts with his stupid, obnoxious presence, _Casey sighed.

The rest of the game went well. The Bulldogs ended up winning without any fights, shoving, or other bad behavior. Derek had scored the winning goal, causing the crowd to go wild as always – he was everyone's favorite player. Casey bit her lower lip as she watched him take off his helmet and embrace Sam in a half-hug. She couldn't explain it, but she felt proud of him. She waited with the rest of her family for Derek to come over and say. Again, she felt butterflies in her stomach. _Come on, Casey. It's Derek. Pull yourself together!_

"Hey!" He grabbed Marti and hoisted her onto his hip, "What did you think?"

"You did great, Smerek!"

"Really great," Nora added, "We're proud of you."

"And no fighting. You played like a member of a team, Derek," George smiled at his son, "Good job."

"Thanks. Is it still alright if I take the car out for pizza with the guys?"

"I think it'd be just fine," George said, adding, "but after tonight, The Prince is going back to Casey."

"Speaking of Spacey," Derek turned to her, "The guys wanted me to invite you, for whatever reason, to come with us to Papa Pepperonis. Something about wanting to treat you to pizza for putting up with us for a week."

Casey blinked, not quite believing what she was hearing. Sure, Derek had finally let her eat lunch with him, but to be invited along with the rest of the hockey team was completely unheard of.

"Um…if you want me to come?" Casey didn't want to step on any toes. Derek never missed the opportunity to tell her how much of a nerdy keener she was and she didn't want to bring down his celebrating with his friends with that nerdy keenerness.

"Why not?" He shrugged, before quickly adding, "I mean, the guys all like you for some strange reason. I swear, they're all delusional, but I was outvoted. So, you coming or not?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

Derek and Casey said goodbye to their family and headed to The Prince to meet everyone at Papa Pepperonis. As they walked together to the car, Casey tried to will the butterflies in her stomach to go away. It was Derek of all people – there was no reason she should be feeling like this towards him. She didn't even know when these feelings started, but it was yesterday that they really began to be prominent – especially after what Coach had said about her caring for Derek. Then of course there was the dance lesson. Casey couldn't help but get goosebumps when she thought of Derek dancing with her. She tried to pull herself together and push the thoughts of Derek from her mind. She didn't want her weird, swooniness to ruin their time.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said, slipping into the passenger seat.

"I told you, I was outvoted," Derek said casually, turning on the radio.

"So, is it nice to be the one driving again for a change."

Derek chuckled, "And not have to put up with your music and the fact that you drive five miles under the speed limit all the time?"

"Hey, I am a safe driver!" Casey contended, "_I_ wasn't the one that got into that fender-bender!"

"I only hit the car in front of us because _you_ were being distracting!"

"I was telling you to slow down!"

"You were yelling at me!"

"Well you weren't slowing down!"

Derek rolled his eyes and settled on a radio station. He put the car in drive and backed out of the parking spot, "Casey, Casey, Casey – you should know by now, I _never_ do anything slow," he grinned suggestively. Casey rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow! See, it's that sort of behavior that causes me to get into wrecks, Missy!"

"Missy?" Casey raised an eyebrow, "You're driving would suck with, our without me, in the car with you. You do know real life isn't a _Fast and Furious_ movie, right?"

Derek turned to her, grinned and pressed down on the accelerator as they hopped onto the freeway. Casey shouted and grabbed onto the handle above the door, "Der-ek! You're doing this on purpose!"

Derek chuckled, "Aww, you know me so well, Princess."

Casey glowered as Derek sped on ahead. She relaxed a bit when he finally brought it back down to only five miles above the speed limit. _He's absolutely infuriating! _

Derek turned up a song on the radio and began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel. Casey hummed along. Derek turned to her and raised an eyebrow. She always surprised and impressed him with her taste in music.

"I know who I want to take me home, I know who I want to take me home, take me home," Casey sang along quietly, her voice was barely a whisper and Derek began to join in her singing.

"Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning end…"

"I know who I want to take me home, I know I want to take me home, I know who I want to take me home, take me home," Casey turned to him and let a small smile cross her face. He could infuriate her to no end, but one of the things she had realized in the past week was how much fun they had singing along to the radio together. He turned to her, a grin on his face, and together they began to belt out the lyrics, even going as far to throw in some of their own dance moves. By the time the song was over, Casey was laughing so hard she had to wipe a tear from her eye.

Derek smiled at her as he watched her shake her head, still laughing. He realized he had been staring a bit too long and quickly refocused on the road ahead of them. He was just starting to think on how beautiful she was when she laughed and that was the last thing he needed. _Get it together, Venturi. You're losing it. Just…focus on your driving and not on Casey. _

"You know," she said after her laughing had died down, "You weren't half bad out there tonight."

"Is that your idea of a complement?"

"Take it or leave it."

Derek smirked, "Well considering I got three girls' phone numbers after the game, I'd have to say that I did more than just not half bad."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Does every girl in the world want you?"

Derek turned to her, his face stoic, "I don't know, you tell me?"

Casey sighed, not falling into his trap, "I don't understand why _any_ girl would ever be interested in a skirt chasing cad like yourself."

"Casey, Casey, Casey…the ladies _love_ me. What can I say? Just because you haven't come to terms with your sexuality doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. You're just a late bloomer. But whenever you feel confident enough in yourself to come out, just know that you have my absolute support. It's your life. Besides, lesbians are hot," he added, winking at her.

"Der-ek! Just because I think you are foul and loathsome does not mean that I am a lesbian. I'll have you know that I happen to _definitely_ like guys."

"You don't have to hide your true self from me, Case," Derek put a hand on her shoulder.

"_Der-ek!_" Casey shook his hand off, "Believe it or not, not every straight girl in the world wants to be with you. I know that may come as a shock to you, but it's true."

"I wouldn't want to be with you either. If I did, you'd already be _begging_ me to kiss you right now," he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and smirked, the flush on her cheeks egging him on.

"What are you talking about? I would _never_ want to kiss you!"

"Ah, but see, I don't think you quite get it yet. What's my name?"

"Derek…this is stupid."

"My name, Case."

"Derek Venturi," Casey rolled her eyes.

Derek's smirk grew, "Exactly. And Derek Venturi _always_ gets what he wants. If I wanted you at all, you'd be mine already."

"Oh is that so?" Casey turned on him, "So even if I thought you were the most loathsome creature on the planet – which I do – I wouldn't have a say in anything, I'd just be with you because you wanted me?"

"That's pretty much how it works," Derek shrugged, "When I see a girl I want, I become absolutely irresistible to her and she's practically begging me to ask her out. It just happens."

Casey rolled her eyes, "You are a pig."

Derek smiled innocently before turning his attention back to his driving. Casey folded her arms over her chest and glared out the window. How dare Derek thing he could just turn on the charm and make whatever girl he wanted fall for him. Suddenly an evil little thought entered her head –

_What if there was a way I could prove to Derek that not every girl in the world wants him? I've seen enough RomComs to know exactly what to do to make a guy completely crazy over a girl. I could just follow those rules. Derek thinks he can just have any girl? Well I am going to be the one girl he wants and can't have. That'll teach him to think of girls as just property! _Casey knew her plan could easily backfire, but she wasn't concerned with that at the moment. All she was thinking about was how to drive Derek absolutely insane. And she was going to kick her plan into action at the pizza parlor.

**Author's Note: Thank you guys for the awesome reviews! Really, it means so much to me! Thank you! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Papa Pepperoni's was packed when Casey and Derek pulled up to the parking lot. Some of the team was already there and were waiting outside for the others. Casey swung her purse over her shoulder and followed Derek over to their group.

"What's going on tonight?" He asked Sam.

"It's karaoke night or something dumb like that. Hey, Casey. Glad you could come."

"Me too. It doesn't sound that dumb to me. Who knows, it might be fun."

Sam shrugged, "I guess she has a point. I mean, worse comes to worse and we can just sit back and make fun of the bad music, right D?"

"I guess," Derek gave in. Together, they headed inside and found two tables in the back that they pushed together. Casey sat down across from Derek and kitty-corner from Sam. Aaron and Stephen sat on either side of her. Gavin sat at one end of the table and Tommy sat at the other end. Not longer after they sat down, a waitress came to pass out sticky, plastic menus and to take their drink orders.

"Casey," Stephen nudged her, "I am glad you come tonight."

"Me too. Thank you for inviting me. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all," Aaron casually threw an arm across the back of her chair, "You put up a lot with us – taking you out for pizza is the least we could do."

"Psh," Derek scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"_D_," Sam shot him a look, "_Chill_. So, what do you have planned for dance lessons this week, Case?"

"Well, I was thinking we could start on some of the choreography. I have a dance planned out, but I want us to practice with it so I can see just where you guys are as far as technique goes…"

"You know," Stephen grinned, leaning close to her, "I could show you a few techniques…OW!" He glared daggers at Derek, "Was that necessary, dude?"

Derek shrugged, "I thought it was."

"Derek," Casey intervened, "That wasn't very nice. Stephen, if you are trying to flirt with me, may I make a suggestion?" Stephen stared at her, his mouth agape; and Casey took this as her cue to continue, "If you want to flirt with me, don't use suggestive locker room talk."

"And um…just out of curiosity…" Stephen's cheeks flushed a shade of beet red, "…how would you um…go about flirting with someone?"

"Well," Casey slipped her hand behind him and began to rake her nails along his back, "I don't really believe in flirting, Stephen. It seems so…childish sometimes, doesn't it? I mean, if you really want to show someone you're interested in them, just be genuine. You know, that goal you scored tonight in the second third of the game was really impressive."

Stephen shivered under the touch of her nails and cleared his throat to try to regain his composure, "Oh…um…thank you. Yeah, it was pretty impressive, huh?"

"Very."

"Oh lookie! Our drinks are here!" Derek announced way too enthusiastically. Stephen scowled at him as Casey's attention pulled away from him and landed on the Coke that had been placed in front of her.

"So, Casey," Aaron asked, "What are you into besides dance?"

"Well, I am a bit of a nerd sometimes," she said, before Derek could beat her to it, "I like reading a lot and kind of getting lost in the worlds of my books. I also really like watching old movies and going shopping with my best friend. What about you? Other than hockey, I mean."

Aaron took a sip of his Sprite, "Well, I like to play video games. That's about it, really. But I think that's really cool what you said about reading. What are some of your favorite books?"

Derek scoffed and Sam glowered at him, "Something in your throat, _D?_"

"Well, my favorite is_ Pride and Prejudice_ but I am reading _The Great Gatsby_ for my English class."

"You too?" Tommy interjected, "I have to read it too and I have no idea what is going on! Other than lots of partying and drinking!"

"Sounds like my kind of book!" Stephen grinned.

"Well, there's a lot more to it than just that," Casey explained, "It's got romance and suspense and death. Basically, this Jay Gatsby and Daisy had were together but he went off to the war and she married this other guy who is a bit of a jerk. But then Gatsby comes back into her life and she has an affair with him. Her husband is having an affair too which everyone knows about. But he still gets very possessive and after a fight with Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby drive off and actually hit Tom – Daisy's husband's – mistress with their car…"

"Alright, that's enough English class for one night," Derek interrupted.

"Wow. All of that is in that book?" Tommy raised an eyebrow, "I might actually have to read it now."

"You should," Casey took another sip from her Coke just as the waitress returned to take their pizza orders. The group decided on ordering four large pepperoni pizzas and two orders of cinnamon breadsticks. Casey had to remind herself that she was with a whole hockey team of hungry seventeen-year-old guys and that the food order probably was the norm for them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" One of the waiters announced from the little stage that was set up in the front of the restaurant, "I'd like to announce our first annual karaoke night will begin in just a minute. Whoever would like to go first, come right on up!"

"That sounds fun," Casey mused.

"No, it sounds stupid," Derek rolled his eyes, stabbing at the ice in his cup with his straw.

"_Derek_," Sam eyed him before turning to Casey, "Do you want to do it?"

"I don't know. I think it'd be fun, but I'm not doing it without a partner."

"I'd do it!" Sam, Stephen, Aaron, and Tommy all said in unison.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Derek rolled his eyes, "Guys, chill. Karaoke is not cool, alright? _We're_ cool. Therefore, karaoke and us don't mix!"

"But Casey wants to," Sam argued, "I wouldn't mind doing it with her. I mean, sure it looks a little lame but maybe it'd be fun."

"But I wanted to be her partner," Stephen frowned.

"Me too," Tommy added.

"Is this real life?" Derek mumbled to the drink in his cup that he was continuing to stab.

Casey smiled shyly. She hadn't expected this reaction from the hockey team, but she welcomed it. It was nice not to be typical, shy Casey. She liked this side of herself, and she liked the reaction she was getting out of Derek. She didn't know where this sudden boldness had come from, but she liked it. Besides, Emily always told her to be more of a flirt. What could it possibly hurt? Besides, it was fun. She was genuinely having fun. She could feel herself coming out of a shell she didn't know had existed. And the world outside of that shell was nice – it was fun! She felt confident and as if she was at the top of the world. It felt good being the center of attention for once as opposed to taking backseat to Derek's spotlight.

She let her gaze wander over to the boy sitting in front of her. He was scowling into his drink, stabbing at the ice in his cup. He did not look like he was having anywhere close to the amount of fun she was having. For a brief moment, she felt a bit bad.

"Derek?" She offered, "Want to give it a shot with me?"

He pulled his eyes away from his drink and forced a smirk, "Please, Spacey. Like I would _ever_ want to do anything with you, much less karaoke."

"Suit yourself," Casey shrugged. Her second evil thought crept into her head. She cursed herself for it, but that didn't stop her from saying, "Gavin? What about you?"

"I guess it could be fun," Gavin shrugged casually, "Why not?"

"Great! Gavin and I are going to go first while the rest of you sort out who wants to be my next karaoke partner, alright?"

Derek opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He glowered as he watched Casey and Gavin head up to the stage. He couldn't believe she was doing this. What had gotten into her? Was it something he had said to her? Derek didn't have much time to think on it though. Casey and Gavin quickly had their song picked out and were ready to go.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The waiter announced, "First up, Casey McDonald and Gavin Hunter!"

A few sporadic claps resounded and Casey and Gavin took their microphones.

"How does this work, exactly?" Gavin asked.

"Well, the lyrics will pop up on that screen and you just read off of them. Your part is in blue, mine is in pink, and the parts we say together are purple."

The music began and together, Casey and Gavin sang along to, "Yellow Submarine." Casey was surprised to find herself actually having a good time with Gavin. She made sure to take a moment to look out in the crowd to search for Derek's reaction. He was clearly displeased – his arms were folded over his chest and he was watching her with an eyebrow raised and a frown plastered on his face. She knew she was going to get an earful from him when they got to the car, but she decided not to think on that too much. She was having too much fun. It reminded her of performing with D-Rock at the talent show. She felt good being on stage, and she felt good flirting with the guys. They were all – for the most part – good guys who just wanted to have some fun too.

After "Yellow Submarine" the restaurant clapped and Casey and Gavin returned to their seats. Derek rolled his eyes as Casey slid into the seat across from him.

"Who wants to be my next partner?" She asked.

"I'll do it," Sam offered.

"Sammy!" Derek snapped at him, "You've got to be kidding!"

"No, I think it'll be fun. Besides, Casey wants to go again."

"I don't care what Casey wants. Sit back down!"

"D, you're being an idiot," Sam shook his head, "Come on, Casey."

"And, back with us again is Casey McDonald and her partner…Sam Richards. They'll be performing…Summer Lovin'."

Sam nudged Casey playfully and she returned the nudge. Together, they sang their song, altering between the main characters' parts and their friends'. Casey couldn't help but have fun when she was with Sam. She was thankful that after their breakup, nothing had really changed between them as friends – much to Derek's dismay. He bugged Casey all the time about it, but to Casey, Sam was more of a brother than Derek was. Which was weird.

After they had finished their song, they returned to their table just in time for the pizza. As they ate, the guys kept up their conversations with Casey while Derek picked at his pizza. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel much like eating. He didn't know what had gotten into Casey but he didn't like it one bit. After she had finished her two slices, Casey asked if anyone else wanted to give it a go.

Aaron volunteered and together they made their way up to the stage. The waiter was surprised to see her again, but didn't comment on her making multiple appearances. Their song choice was "Livin' on a Prayer." Afterwards, they returned to the table and she grabbed Stephen and pulled him up on stage – though he wasn't objecting too much.

"Can you believe her?" Derek nudged Sam, "She's being a _total_ bimbo."

"She's just having fun, D," Sam defended, "When was the last time she genuinely just relaxed and had a good time? I've never seen her like this. It's nice. She's not being all uptight and stressed out. She's just cutting back and having a good time. You should be happy for her."

"Yeah, _real_ happy for her."

"D, what's going on? Something is really bothering you. It can't possibly be Casey, can it?"

Derek scoffed, "No. I just don't like her hanging around my friends. You know, the whole male code thing."

"D, I thought we debunked that a long time ago."

"Well, I still don't like it. I don't want her thinking she can just hang around us whenever, because she can't. You guys wanted to invite her along tonight and I might not have liked it, but I didn't argue…much. But I don't want this to become a regular thing…oh my god!"

All eyes were on the stage as Stephen and Casey sang along to "I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie." Derek was fuming. Sam couldn't help but think if it had been a cartoon, Derek would have had steam coming out of his ears. He honestly didn't see what the big deal was – Casey was just having fun. It was nice seeing this side of her. Derek, on the other hand, was not as thrilled. In fact, far from it. He scowled as Casey grinded on Stephen and his thoughts drifted back to the talent show when she had done the same move to him. _Does she know she's feeding his pervy little thoughts? Does she know she's making a complete moron of herself? Damn it, Casey! That does it! You want to play this game? Well, have fun trying to outplay the player! _He pushed his chair back and practically stormed up to the stage.

Once their song was over, he grabbed Casey and said in her ear, "For this next song, you're mine, _Princess_."

Casey shivered and hoped Derek hadn't noticed. Derek walked over to the laptop that was set up to the projector. He scrolled through the list of songs until he found the perfect one. He grinned as he clicked on the title before joining her back on the stage.

"Derek, what are you doing?"

"Shut up and sing your part."

As soon as the music started up, Casey paled. She knew this song very well and the fact that Derek had picked it for them made the butterflies return for the first time since they had walked into the pizza parlor.

"I judge by what she's wearing, Just how many heads I'm tearing Off of assholes coming on to her, Each night seems like it's getting worse, And I wish she'd take the night off So I don't have to fight off Every asshole coming on to her, It happens every night she works, They'll go and ask the DJ Find out just what would she say If they all tried coming on to her, Don't they know it's never going to work, They think they'll get inside her With every drink they buy her  
As they all try coming on to her. This time somebody's getting hurt," Derek sneered at Casey as her part came up on the screen.

She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck as she sang, "Is that your hand on my girlfriend? Is that your hand? I wish you'd do it again, I'll watch you leave here limping, I wish you'd do it again, I'll watch you leave here limping, There goes the next contestant."

As they continued to sing, they began to circle each other, eyeing one another like they were about to pounce on their prey. Derek was smirking the whole time, something evil glinting in his eye. Casey flushed shades of red but held her ground, not giving in for a second. They kept circling each other and getting in each other's faces. At one point, Casey decided to test her newfound boldness and actually got so close to Derek's face that their lips were practically touching. She got what she wanted when Derek's eyes wandered and landed on her mouth. She pulled her lips up to a smirk and pulled away from him. He took a step back, his eyes wide and for a moment, he had to stop and remind himself where he was. She was smirking triumphantly and Derek returned her smirk. She wasn't going to get away with that.

They continued to circle and sing to one another and when the end of the song came, Derek wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her forward towards him, their bodies pressed against each other. He dropped his head so that their lips were practically touching for the second time in less than five minutes. Casey was breathless and he knew it. Her face flushed a collage of different reds and pinks and her eyes were wide with confusion or anticipation – maybe both – Derek wasn't quite sure which.

"Careful trying to play a player, Princess. You'll get burned."

Casey opened her mouth to say something, but then realized that the song had ended and everyone was just staring at them. She blushed a deeper shade of red and broke away from Derek. She felt humiliated with herself and with what had just taken place. She hurried offstage and over to the table.

"That was…something," Sam said as she snatched her purse off the table.

Casey felt dizzy and the breath snagged in her lungs. She needed to get out of there. After grabbing her purse, she bolted for the door.

"Well I think we all know who our winners are tonight," the waiter grinned, pulling out a gift certificate from his pocket, "Casey McDonald and Derek Venturi!" He handed Derek the gift certificate and Derek forced a smile as he waved to the audience.

"Um, thanks."

He ducked off the stage and headed over to the table.

"Damn, D," Sam's eyes were wide, "That was…"

"Drop it, Sammy."

"But Derek…"

"_Or else, Sam!_"

"That was the hottest thing I've ever seen," Stephen gushed, ignoring Derek's warning.

"Seriously," Tommy agreed, "Wow!"

"If any of you know what's good for you, you will drop it and never mention tonight to anyone ever! And if I hear you even so much as mutter a word about this, I will see to it that Coach has you run laps until you puke. Got it?"

Derek snatched his leather jacket off his chair and made his way towards the door.

"Wow," Gavin ran a hand through his hair, "Um…are they always like that?"

"Well not like that _specifically_," Sam made a 'yikes face' and added, "But not far from it."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I apologize for not stating this in the last chapter, but those songs I mentioned do not belong to me in anyway. Also, on Tumblr there's a post or two about stepsiblings and rules for them living together and that's what I used for this chapter although I cannot find the original post to give credit for it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Chapter Fourteen**

Casey leaned against the brick wall of Papa Pepperoni's, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt so embarrassed and wanted nothing more than to melt into a puddle of mortification on the concrete pavement. She knew she hadn't thought everything out like she should have. She knew her little plan to get under Derek's skin could easily backfire, and it had. Just like Derek had said, she had gotten burned. Casey felt the anxiety tangle knots around her stomach and despite how hard she tried, the air couldn't seem to get into her lungs fast enough. She knew he was right behind her. She knew he wouldn't let her get away like that. Casey would have to face Derek, and the very thought of it made her want to puke.

The door to the restaurant swung open and Derek stormed outside, shrugging his leather jacket over his shoulders. Casey turned her head away, hoping that by some miracle he would just drop the whole thing and they could go on with their lives. All possibilities of that ever happening vanished as Derek grabbed her by the arm and jerked her towards him so she was facing him.

"What the hell was that, Casey?" His voice was louder than she had expected it to be, and she winced at the sheer force behind his words.

"Derek…"

"Did you even think? Do you know how you looked to everyone in there? It was like you were practically throwing yourself at the whole hockey team screaming, '_Screw me! Screw me!_'"

Casey withered, "Can you please not use the word 'screw' in reference to any sexual activity involving me?"

"Fine," Derek's lips upturned in a sickening grin, "How about _fuck_ then? '_Fuck me! Fuck_…' Derek was interrupted by a sharp slap to his face. Casey had thrown all of her strength into the slap – every ounce of frustration, anger, embarrassment – causing Derek to reel backwards. He lifted his hand up to his cheek where a white handprint was dissolving into view.

Casey regretted it the moment she heard the force of her blow. It was too late though to apologize. Derek peeled his eyes upwards, locking them on to hers. There was a fire in them that she had never seen before and it terrified her. She and Derek weren't strangers to fighting and sometimes their fights did get physical – but only as far as shoving and wrestling around. They had never actually hit one another with the intent of causing the other harm. Casey's eyes widened and Derek's did the same. They couldn't stop looking at one another, their eyes like magnets that were not about to easily be pulled apart. They were both breathing sharply, as if thirsting to fill their lungs. Derek's eyes narrowed and he said –

"I'm done."

_Done? What does he mean by done? Done with this night? Done with me? How can he be done with me? Damn it, Casey! Why did you have to go and screw everything up tonight? Maybe…maybe it's not as bad as it seems. We both just need some time to relax and regroup. Tomorrow, after we've had some time to cool down, everything will be fine. It's got to be fine. He…he doesn't mean that. We're not really done. How could we be done? We live together! He's got to face me at some point, right? He's just angry. He'll vent to Edwin and sleep on it tonight and come tomorrow, everything will be back to normal!_

Derek shook his head and walked over to The Prince. Panic hit, and Casey jogged to catch up to him. There was no way he was just going to leave her there, right? He was just trying to prove a point…

"Derek, I…"

"I have nothing to say to you, Casey. I'm done."

"You keep saying that, but I don't know what you mean by that."

"You're the genius, you figure it out," Derek unlocked the car, "I'm done. I'm done with you. I'm done trying with you."

"Trying?" Casey jumped on that comment, "What do you mean trying? You haven't _tried_ to do anything, Derek."

"Are you serious right now?" Derek leaned against the car door, folding his arms over his chest, "Wow, Casey McDonald isn't as smart as she likes to have everyone believe."

"Derek," Casey felt sick, "What are you talking about? Maybe if you would clue me in…I'm not a mind-reader, Derek. I can't just tell what you're thinking, you've got to communicate to me!"

Derek scoffed, "Are you really that dumb?"

"_What are you talking about!_"

"I'm talking about _us_, Casey. You and me. Or do you need me to draw you a diagram? Maybe throw in some colorful pictures and charts for you to follow along with?"

"Derek! Just tell me what you're talking about. Us? What do you mean 'us?'"

Derek sighed and rolled his eyes. He hadn't wanted to have this conversation with her – at least not this way, "Look, when my dad told me that he was marrying your mom, he told me about your family. He said my mom had given him some sort of journal article she found online about raising blended stepsiblings to be stepsiblings. Are you following?"

"Not really…"

"Damn it, Casey! Just listen! So my mom gives my dad this article – says it's just her being a concerned parent. He has me read it over with him. The whole thing is this psychological mumbo-jumbo about how to make sure that the blended family creates a sibling bond. It had a whole set of rules. My dad told me that night we read my mom's stupid article that he thought it was all a bunch of crap and that if I happened to be attracted to Nora's daughter, then I had his full permission to go for it and not be all concerned about the fact that we were stepsiblings. He told me there was no way two teenagers of the opposite sex could live together under one roof without there being some tension, and he said that it'd only make things worse overall if he and Nora tried to get in the way of that."

Casey's cheeks flushed as she tried to process everything Derek was telling her. She had no idea that their parents would have ever been so open to the idea of Derek and her being attracted to one another, and hearing it for the first time was a relief in a way. Casey felt like a huge burden was being lifted, although she couldn't explain why she felt that way.

"So guess what, Casey? They got married and we became one big happy family, right? And you wanna know what else? That list my mom had given my dad about all the rules and everything? _We ended up breaking every rule on that list._ I can still remember some of them," Derek laughed an humorless laugh, "Don't let them have bedrooms next to each other; don't let them share a bathroom; don't leave them home alone together; don't let them wear revealing clothing around each other; don't let them have any sort of physical contact like wrestling or play fighting; don't let them date each other's friends – see a pattern, Casey? We broke every rule on that damn list and our parents let us!"

Casey had never thought about it before, but now she was starting to realize that George and her mother had both been pretty open about her and Derek doing whatever they wanted. They could fight and torment each other and only when things got ugly did they intervene. They didn't care that Casey and Derek would hang out in each other's rooms at weird hours of the night, or the fact that Derek would just barge into her bedroom when she was changing – or the bathroom when she was showering or brushing her teeth. They didn't seem to care much at all actually. At first Casey had assumed they were just naive about things, but now she was starting to realize and it all made sense to her – George and her mom didn't care one way or the other if she and Derek were attracted to each other or dated. In fact, they would have encouraged it.

"I-I had no idea."

"Figures," Derek rolled his eyes, "Anyway let's go back a little bit to when we first met, shall we?" Casey felt herself growing more and more nauseous. She knew no good was going to come from what Derek had to tell her, but she had no choice but to listen, "So we meet and I'm sitting there looking at you and thinking to myself that you are one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. Don't look at me like that – I'm not done yet. Anyway, since then _I wanted to be with you, Casey_. You were all I could think about. You'd crash into my thoughts and I couldn't go long without you popping back into my head. And I hated it. You acted so disgusted by me – as if you genuinely couldn't stand me and I thought you couldn't. Besides, you always made it seem like you were too good for me anyway."

Casey winced when he said that, "Derek, I had no idea…"

"No, you had no idea because you didn't want to know. You didn't want to like someone like me. Eventually, I tried to force myself to stop liking you. I'd try to find different things about you that would specifically annoy me just so I could be pissed off at you. That's why I fought with you so much. It was a double-edged sword. When we were fighting, you'd pay attention to me – I could ruffle your feathers and leave you thinking about me for a while after our fight – but also during our fights, I could get angry at you and find little things about you that made you imperfect, annoying, and made me not see you as this perfect, unattainable thing. When I fought with you, it was for your attention but also because when we'd fight, you'd piss me off and it was easier to be angry with you than try to come to terms with the fact that for the first time in my whole life, a girl I liked didn't like me back."

Derek sucked in a deep breath, "But lately that hasn't been working out so hot. You see, lately I think you've started to feel something for me too – besides annoyance and hate and disgust. I think you started to like me. And it was nice, Casey – hell, it was amazing. Finally after all this time, I thought I had a chance with you. I don't know, maybe I was just being stupid – I tend to be good at that, huh – but I just thought that you actually were starting to like me. Especially after you standing up for me to Coach. And our fighting…it stopped being fighting a long time ago, Casey. Like I said, don't try to play a player, you'll get burned. I know flirting, Casey. I know the ends and outs of it like a science. Our fighting wasn't fighting. And I think you know that too."

Casey winced, her cheeks staining a flushed stain of pink. She knew what he was true, she just had no idea that he was so aware of everything. And here she had been thinking she was being discrete! She should have known better. Derek knew her too well for her to ever try to be discrete in her feelings towards anything – much less him!

"Derek…"

"And I thought maybe this might be it – maybe I would ask you to be my girlfriend and maybe you'd say yes. And maybe Sam and Emily and Dad and Nora would be so relieved that after so long, we were finally together. And don't look so shocked, Emily and Sam have been rooting for us to finally just do it for a while – and by do it, I mean get together. But you know what, Casey? All those hopes I had about maybe being something more to you? You just killed those. Tonight, right inside that doorway. Seeing you up on stage acting like you did, maybe I'd think it was hot if it as any other girl. But that's not you Casey. And you were only doing it to get a rise out of me. Well it got a rise out of me. Happy? Here's your rise, Casey! You win!" Derek dug the gift certificate from his pocket and threw it at her, "There's your prize! Perfect Casey always has to get what she wants, right? Well sometimes you can't always get what you want. So this is me, getting in my car and driving home to my house and leaving you behind. Whatever chance we may have had at anything has been killed. Good job. I hope you're proud of yourself. You want a gold star?"

"Derek…"

"I am going to get in my car and I am going to drive home and I am going to try my best to forget about anything I ever felt towards you, Casey. Because I am done. I am done with you. I am done with trying to get you to notice me; I am done with trying to impress you; I am done with trying to fight for you and fight against you. I am just done. I give up. You win. You wanted to do something to get under my skin? You wanted to make me jealous or something tonight? You wanted to get a rise out of me? Well here you go. Like I said, you win."

"Derek, please," Casey realized that there were tears streaming down her cheeks – the silent tears that once started almost seem impossible to stop, "Derek…don't do this. I was just being stupid. I wasn't thinking. I had no idea…Derek. Come on, Derek. At least…at least give me a ride home. You can't just leave me here like this! Please…at least look at me."

Derek turned and locked his eyes to hers. Right when he did it, Casey wished he hadn't. She had selfishly expected him to soften at the sight of her crying, but instead, his eyes had hardened into cold stone.

"Am I supposed to care? You have a cellphone to call for a ride. You can go back in and see if one of the guys can give you a ride if you really wanted to. It's not my problem. _You_ aren't my problem."

"Derek, I think we both said and did some things tonight that we don't mean," Casey was floundering, but she was desperate, "Please…I think we just need to go home and unwind and tomorrow…tomorrow everything will be fine. Right, Derek?" Derek turned away from her, "Please, Derek don't do this. I was just being stupid. You have full permission to…to make fun of me for the rest of my life for how I was acting in there. Just don't…don't be like this. _Please, Derek!_"

Derek shook his head and slid past her. He opened the car door and slipped inside. Once inside, he locked The Prince, turned the key in the ignition, and backed out of the parking space. Casey ran over and was screaming at him to stop, the tears pouring down her cheeks, down her neck, and splashing onto her shirt. She felt dizzy. The whole earth seemed to be closing in on her and she couldn't breathe. _He'll come back, _Casey tried to assure herself, _he's just trying to prove a point. Never play a player, Casey. He'll come back and get you and you can go home and rest and tomorrow everything will be fine. He's going to come back, any second now. Just be patient. He wouldn't really leave you like this. It's Derek. He'll be back. Any second now. _But Derek didn't come back; and the tears didn't stop; and Casey realized then that he had done something she always had assumed impossible – Derek Venturi had broken her heart.

**Author's Note: I don't want to say much and give anything away but just know that all my stories have happy endings even if you have to wait a little bit for them. Don't worry, I won't make you wait too long. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Casey was sitting on the curb with her cellphone in her hands, trying to work up the courage to call her mom. She knew she could easily get a ride with one of the guys, but she didn't want to face them just yet. Besides, they were Derek's teammates; she knew where their loyalties lied. She felt numb as she tried to process what had just taken place. It felt so unreal, as though she had been watching a scene from a movie. For a few minutes, she actually thought Derek would come back for her. When he didn't, she caved and decided to go ahead and call her mother. On the third ring, Nora answered.

"Sweetie, hi. Is everything okay?"

Casey could feel what little resolve she had left completely dissipate when she heard her mom's voice on the other end of the phone. She wanted to go to her and hold her and have her stroke her hair. She wanted her mom to tell it would be okay and talk her through it like she did when Casey had gone through bad breakups or lost friends. But this time was different. Casey knew better than to tell her mom what had actually happened between her and Derek. This was between the two of them, and there was no reason to drag their family into any unnecessary drama. Lying, Casey said –

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need a ride. Something came up, and I need a ride."

"Where's Derek?"

Casey winced, "I'll tell you when you get here. It's fine though. It's just cold and the pizza place is closing soon…"

"Okay, I'll have George come and get you right away."

"Thanks, Mom."

Casey ended the call before Nora could ask anymore questions. She tried to think up different lies and excuses to explain what had happened, but her mind wouldn't function. All she could think about was Derek and the hurt in his eyes when she had slapped him and the coldness in his voice when he had spoken to her. He really was done with her. Casey rested her head in her palm, wondering what would happen now. They would have to interact somehow, they did live together. Casey felt sick as she imagined how it would be from now on in their house. She hoped more than anything that this was just a fight. They always fought. Sometimes their fights could get pretty bad, but this one definitely took the cake. Maybe in a few weeks, something would happen. Derek would bump into her or nudge her and make a small comment or she would do something embarrassing and he would make a remark about her being a klutzilla. Then, everything would be back to normal.

George's car pulled up and Casey pushed herself up off the curb. She ducked into the car and shut the door. She turned the AC vent so that it was facing upwards in hopes that the cold air would dry the tears that were threatening to escape and roll down her cheeks. She could not cry. She could not let George think that anything was wrong.

"Casey…" he was trying very hard to keep his voice level and not completely explode. Casey winced at how strained his voice was. She had always liked George, though there were times that she wouldn't admit it. But George was a good guy and Casey didn't want to think about having to lie to him. She scrambled, trying to come up with something as he said, "Where's my son?"

"Sam's grandmother fell again. He got the call while we were eating dinner. Derek took him to the hospital. We didn't think about the car situation. The rest of the team all carpooled and there wouldn't have been room enough. Some of the guys even offered to wait behind while Stephen gave me a ride back but I told them it was fine and that I could call you."

George eyed Casey for a moment before saying, "Well, alright. But next time, think about this a bit more. I don't mind coming to get you, but I do wish Derek would at least keep us in the loop sometimes. How was dinner?"

"It was fun," Casey was the one now who was straining to keep her voice level. She stared right into the air vents, hoping the tears would dry and not fall, "They had karaoke night tonight so some of the guys and I took turns singing. It was really fun! We even won a gift certificate."

"Nice! I am glad you're hanging out with some of Derek's friends. He doesn't seem to mind and they're mostly good guys, Case. It's just nice to see you and Derek being able to become friends and have mutual friends. I never asked that you see each other as siblings or even get a long much but as long as you were decent people to each other, that's all I wanted. I think you two are old enough now and realizing you have a lot in common. I always thought you guys would make good friends if you could just get past the fighting."

Casey turned and looked out the window just in time before a tear rolled down her cheek, "Yeah. He's a good guy."

The rest of the ride was quiet as Casey stared out the window. She felt her stomach tangle with nerves and she just wanted to go to bed. She was terrified to have to face Derek again. She had always said their petty fights were horrible but she would give anything for this to be just one of those petty fights. She wanted to go to him, to talk to him, beg him to listen to her. But she knew it would do no good. When the car pulled into the driveway, they noticed the Prince was parked in the garage. Derek was still inside. He looked up out the rear view mirror and ran his hands across his face before stepping out of the car. Casey felt her the knots around her stomach tighten and her pulse quicken. The blood fizzled and turned to soda within her veins. She felt lightheaded as she and George approached Derek. He leaned against the car, waiting for them, dreading what was to come. Casey probably told George that he had abandoned her. Now he would be grounded even longer. He could kiss whatever freedom he had goodbye. And so much for he and George reconciling. After finding out Derek had just left Casey at the restaurant, there was no way George would forgive him.

"Hey. How's Sam's grandmother?" George asked.

Casey stepped in just as a look of confusion crossed Derek's face, "I told George about Sam's grandmother falling again. He didn't have a problem giving me a ride so you could take Sam to the hospital."

Relief washed over Derek's face and Casey thought she saw his eyes soften just briefly. But the moment passed and they were icy stone again, "Yeah. She's fine. Just a um…fractured hip," Derek dug his hands into his pockets and they headed inside. Casey wanted so badly to get him to look at her, to speak to her. Once inside, he pretended as if she wasn't even there. It was killing her.

George explained to Nora what had happened with Sam's grandmother, and everyone headed to their bedrooms for the night. Casey lingered as she passed by Derek's shut bedroom door on her way from the bathroom. She wanted to go inside, to sit on the edge of his bed, and to talk to him. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was for the way she had acted and she wanted to talk to him about their feelings for each other. She had no idea Derek had liked her, and just as she was starting to come to terms with her own feelings, any chance they had was shattered. Casey felt ill as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into her bed.

She lay awake for as long as she could until sleep finally took over, trying to listen to any sign of life coming from Derek's room. She could hear his dresser drawers opening and shutting and she imagined him changing – shaking out of his leather jacket, tossing it onto the bed, pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it onto the floor, wiggling out of his jeans, kicking them under the bed. Casey bit down on her lower lip as she waited for more sounds coming from his room. She heard him clear his throat once and then the door opening. She held her breath, hoping he was coming to see her. This would be it. They would finally be able to talk and put the whole fight behind them and move on. But his footsteps continued down the hallway, stopping at the bathroom. Casey sighed and tried to fall asleep – she really did, but a thought kept wandering into her head. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and headed down the hallway. When she got to the bathroom door, she waited. Leaning against the wall, she folded her arms across her chest and passed the time by playing different scenarios of what would go down in a few minutes in her head.

Finally, the door creaked open and Derek turned. Upon seeing Casey standing there, his eyes widened with surprise, then returned to their new normal – cold, aloof, callous. Casey withered under his glare but stood her ground nonetheless. She cleared her throat and said –

"I just need to use the restroom."

Derek continued glaring at her, but made no effort to leave. Instead, he crossed his arms over his own chest and raised an eyebrow at her. Casey forgot how to breathe. She hoped this would be it – a snide comment, a smirk, and everything would be fine. But Derek remained stoic. He brushed past her and headed back down the hall. Casey waited until she was safely behind the bathroom door before collapsing onto the floor. She leaned against the door and pulled her knees up to her chest.

_I can't stand him! I couldn't stand him before when we were fighting everyday almost unable to be in the same room. He's say something and get under my skin but at least he'd say something. At least when he was pranking me and making fun of me, he acknowledged that I existed. Now, it's like I'm completely erased from him and I can't stand it. Why does he have this effect over me? I shouldn't be so upset. It's just Derek. A few weeks ago, I'd have jumped for joy if someone told me that he would never speak to me again. Now, I hate it. I hate him. Why is it that I can hate someone and be so crazy about them at the same time? _

Casey eventually pushed herself up off the floor and headed to the sink. She splashed some cold water onto her face, hoping to erase the damage the tears had caused. She stared at her reflection, mentally slapping herself for allowing herself to get so worked up over a guy – _not just any guy, Derek. _Casey sighed and made her way back to her bedroom. She couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. As she headed down the hall, her thoughts wondered to Monday. She dreaded having to face the hockey team after what had happened. She decided there was nothing else she could do. She needed to talk to Coach and resign from teaching ballet lessons. There was just no way she could face them again, and it would be impossible to work with Derek.

She crawled under her covers and tried to fall asleep.

The next day when Casey headed downstairs, Nora was fixing Sunday breakfast. Edwin and Lizzie and Marti were sitting at the counter in the kitchen. George had gone to the hardware store and Derek was still asleep.

"Good morning, honey," Nora smiled at Casey, "What do you want this morning? I can do pancakes or waffles or eggs or maybe all three?"

"Eggs sound good," Casey took a seat next to Lizzie. She was hoping everything would be back to normal, and so far it seemed that way. But as soon as Derek appeared in the kitchen, all those hopes were shattered.

"Good morning, Derek. What would you like for breakfast today?"

Derek propped his arm on the back of Edwin's chair and snapped his fingers. Sighing, Edwin downed the last of his juice and jumped out of the chair, giving it to Derek.

"Derek, that wasn't nice.

"He was almost done anyway, Nora. Um…I'll just have cereal."

"Okay, suit yourself. Casey, here are your eggs. You kids behave, alright? That goes for all of you. I'm off to run some errands but I'll be back later this afternoon. Casey, Derek, you two are in charge."

"Sure thing, Mom," Casey smiled, trying her best to sound chipper. Derek rolled his eyes as he poured some milk into his cereal bowl. He hopped up onto the chair next to Lizzie and began to eat. Casey tensed. Despite Lizzie being in between them, Derek's presence made her skin prickle. She suddenly no longer felt like eating.

Nora grabbed her coat and purse and headed out the door. Casey was shoving the eggs around on her plate and Derek was stabbing at his corn flakes with his spoon. Lizzie looked from Casey, to Derek, then back to Casey.

"I'm going to go watch TV with Edwin. You two are being weird and it's giving me the creeps."

"Lizzie…"

"I'm out," Lizzie dumped her plate into the sink and went off to watch TV. Casey sighed. She was doing a horrible job at making it seem like nothing was wrong. Derek wasn't exactly doing phenomenally either. The last thing she wanted was to drag her family into the middle of whatever was going on between them.

"You and I need to chat. Privately."

Derek continued to stab at his cereal.

"Derek, didn't you hear me?"

Still no acknowledgement. Casey frowned, hating this more and more each second.

"Derek!"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Casey fumed, "Can we _please_ talk in private? Then I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day."

Derek groaned but followed Casey upstairs anyway. When they got to her room, she shut the door and ordered him to sit.

"I'm fine standing," he leaned against her bedroom door, "You have thirty seconds."

"Derek, I know that you're angry…"

"Twenty four seconds."

"And I know what I did last night was stupid and wrong…"

"Twenty seconds."

"But whatever is going on, we have to keep our family out of it. I don't want them in the middle of this. This is about you and me right now and I don't want our fighting to upset our family. Lizzie is already noticing something is up and I don't want…"

"Five seconds."

"Derek, stop it! Just listen to me without counting…"

"Time's up," he moved to open the door.

"Derek! Don't you agree though? We shouldn't let our family be affected by our fighting."

"We aren't fighting."

"Well what do you call this then?"

"Me being done with you," Derek said flatly.

Casey closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to keep her cool, "Derek, I just think it would be best if we at least attempted to be civil towards one another around our family. Like it or not, we still are living under the same roof. Our actions don't just affect us, but they affect everyone else living here. I don't want to upset anyone. And Marti was looking at us funny too and I just don't want to put anyone in the middle."

"Fine."

"Fine? That's all you have to say?"

"Around our family, I'll be civil to you. And trust me, this isn't fighting. If it were us fighting, I'd actually be thinking of ways to torment you. Now, you don't even cross my mind."

Casey turned her head, hoping he wouldn't see how badly his words had stung her, "Well, I am glad we're getting all of this out there then," Casey tried to keep her voice level, "It's better to do it now than later, I suppose."

"Are we finished here?"

"I also wanted to inform you that I emailed Coach Samuels. I won't be doing the ballet lessons anymore."

Derek raked his teeth across his bottom lip, "I guess that's for the best. Especially after last night. You wouldn't want to encourage the guys to keep having the wrong idea about you, right?"

"Right," Casey nodded firmly. She tried to hide the fact that her voice was threatening to crack and tears were threatening to spill again, "Well, that's all then."

"Okay," Derek made no attempt to leave and Casey made no attempt to try to kick him out. Everything about this whole situation confused her. She and Derek had never acted like this to one another before and it was weird. She hated that they weren't their usual selves. She missed the fighting and the banter. She wanted him to trip her, to put honey in her shampoo, to call her names. She wanted to fight with him in the way they used to. She wanted to be on his mind again.

"Wait…um I have your CD you let me borrow awhile back," Casey began to shuffle through some of the things on her dresser before finding the CD, "Here you go."

"Thanks. Um I have something I need to give you too."

Casey followed Derek to his room. He began to sort through some of the stuff on his desk until he finally found what he was looking for.

"Here," he handed her a book.

"_Pride and Prejudice_?"

"I bought it last week. Your copy is all worn out and I figured you could use a new one. I'd return it, but I can't find the receipt."

"Thank you, Derek," Casey didn't know what to say, "That was very thoughtful of you…"

"Like I said," Derek cut her off, "I'd return it if I could."

Neither one of them said anything for a while. Casey wondered why he wasn't just throwing her out of his room. After a moment, she excused herself and headed downstairs to wash up from breakfast. _Thanks a lot, Derek. Now I am more confused than ever! _


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Monday was horrible. Casey still had to drive Derek to school and the car ride was miserable. Neither one of them said a word, or made any movement to turn on the radio. It was dead silent. Casey hated the quiet because it meant her thoughts were louder and more intrusive. Derek kept his eyes locked on the window, and she wondered what was going through his head. When they got to school, they went their separate ways. While at her locker, Sam approached her to make sure everything was fine with her and Derek.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry about how I acted on Saturday night…"

"Don't be," Sam objected, "You were just having fun. I liked that side of you – we all did. It was nice to see you not be so uptight for once, Casey. Did Derek give you any trouble? He seemed pretty upset."

"You'd have to talk to him about that," Casey continued pulling the books from her locker and putting them in her backpack. She didn't want to be having this conversation, especially with Sam. Sam frowned.

"Okay then. Will I see you at lunch?"

"Emily and I are going to eat at our usual table."

"Whoa. Whatever happened must have been pretty huge. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry Sam. I'm fine."

"Derek is my friend, but you're my friend too, Casey. If he's being an ass, let me know and I'll try to talk to him."

"No!" Casey lowered her voice, "I am fine, Sam. Really. Don't worry about me."

"Casey, I'm always going to worry about you," Sam sighed, lightly punched her in the shoulder, and headed down the hallway.

Casey slammed her locker shut, angry with everything. Everything had been going so well the past few weeks and now all of that was destroyed thanks to Derek. She wanted to crawl under her blankets and drown her sorrows in fresh baked cookies and chocolate soymilk, but she knew that wasn't possible.

The rest of the day passed by slowly. She didn't see Coach Samuels and he hadn't responded to her email. During lunch, Emily revealed that Sam had told her that whatever happened between Derek and Casey must have been pretty bad. She said that they were both concerned and wanted to know what was going on. Casey told her about Saturday night and the way she acted at Papa Pepperonis. She also told Emily about Derek's reaction and what he had told her in the parking lot. Emily practically squealed with excitement until Casey told her that whatever Derek had felt for her then was long gone. She told her about Derek being done with her and how he hardly spoke to her now. She told her about the angry glances and how uncomfortable she felt around him. Emily tried her best to be supportive, but had no idea what to say. Derek and Casey may have gotten on each other's nerves, but they had always been attached at the hip so to speak. They talked all the time and never went more than a few hours without driving each other crazy with insults or pranks.

After lunch, Casey tried to push all thoughts of Derek out of her head. It didn't help matters when the last class of the day was the one class they shared – History. The subject was on the French revolution, but Casey's mind kept wandering to the back of the classroom. She could feel eyes on the back of her neck and she knew just who was staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to refocus on the lecture. It was impossible. All thoughts drifted back to Derek.

After school, he had his hockey practice. Casey stayed in the library to get a head start on some homework until he finished. She felt nauseous as she imagined the guys talking about her after practice. She could just see it now – them changing in the locker rooms and discussing her and ho she acted on Saturday. Sam was an ally, but when it came to his friends, Casey couldn't blame him if he joined in. She felt so mortified, and eventually neglected her homework. She couldn't concentrate and decided to just pick it back up after she had had a relaxing shower at home. She just needed to clear her head. Finally, her phone buzzed with a text message alert –

"Out of practice. Meet by Prince."

Casey sighed and grabbed her things before heading off to meet Derek. Her stomach twisted and knotted again and she felt her anxiety taking over. She hoped practice had gone well and that the guys hadn't talked too much about her and her behavior. Derek was leaning against the car when Casey met him outside. She unlocked The Prince and they tossed their bags in the back.

"How was practice?" Casey asked, knowing she was treading on dangerous waters.

"Fine," Derek shrugged as she backed out of the parking space, "Coach mentioned something interesting today."

"Hmm?"

"He said that you had emailed him about quitting because you felt like it was cutting into your schoolwork."

"Yeah. It's not exactly a lie."

"A lot of the guys were pretty upset. Apparently they liked dance lessons, though I have no idea why."

"Can you tell them that I'm sorry?" Casey asked, instantly feeling horrible, "I don't want to let them down, but I just don't think I can do it. Especially now. I really made an idiot of myself on Saturday."

"Look," Derek ran a hand through his hair, "When I fought last week, I made an idiot of myself. I wasn't thinking straight and I know what I did was stupid. But I still have to keep playing. I wouldn't want to quit anyways just because of one stupid mistake. Besides, when you got people counting on you, you don't just walk away from them."

Casey felt queasy, "Derek, I just don't think…"

"Do whatever you want, I'm just letting you know what I think. And I think it's pretty lousy to bail on a bunch of people who need you."

"Derek, I can't. I am mortified with myself! I was flirting with them and I even danced so provocatively with Stephen and I just can't. I can't face them right now after what I did."

"They were having fun. Like you were. It's no big deal. What's done is done."

"But apparently it is a big deal, Derek. Or at least to you."

Derek didn't say anything. Casey tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She felt horrible for quitting dance lessons, and what Derek had said only made her feel worse. But what did he expect from her? The guys would never take her seriously after how she had acted. They continued to drive in silence. After a while, Casey mustered up enough courage to ask –

"Would they even want me back?"

She turned to Derek just in time to see a small twitch play at the corner of his lips, "I think they all should be checked into a mental ward for it, but yeah."

That night, Casey checked her email. She had one email from Coach Samuels.

_Casey, I'd like for you to come by tomorrow at lunch to talk with me. If dance lessons are getting in the way of your school work, I will fully understand. However, after I announced to the team that you were thinking of quitting because of your school work, Derek approached me. He came up after practice and told me not to let you quit. He said you can manage your school work just fine and that I shouldn't let you just walk out on us. Like I said, I'd be supportive if you really do need to back out. But I think we can figure something out. We all love having you. Just think on it, alright. See you tomorrow._

* * *

Casey walked into the gym the next afternoon. After talking to Derek, she knew what she had to do. When she went to Coach Samuel at lunch time, she told him that even thinking about quitting had been a mistake. She explained to him that she was just a little stressed about an assignment and that she was handling it and wanted nothing more than to continue to teach the hockey team. He had of course agreed to let her stay on. Now that it was time for the dances lessons though, Casey was sick with nerves. She had no idea how she could face the hockey team, and Derek, after what had happened; but she knew she had to at some point. She felt her cheeks flush, but her nerves were put at ease when she saw the guys lined up in their usual formations. She couldn't help but smile when Sam said –

"Hey, Casey! Glad you haven't given up on us yet!"

"Yeah," Stephen chimed in, "I mean, you couldn't leave without teaching us that dance you've been working on."

Relief flooded over her. The guys were fine. Nothing was weird between them at all and all of her worries and stress was put at ease. She had been worried after talking to Coach and telling him that she was willing to stay on about how the guys would react. Derek had said they didn't want her to leave, but she was still embarrassed by how she had acted. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face them, but standing in front of them everything seemed fine. There was nothing awkward between them, and it was nice. She wished things could be like that between her and Derek.

"Of course not!" Casey smiled, setting up her CD player, "Today I want to practice a few leaps, and then I'll show you the dance I've been working on lately. For leaps, I want each of you to line up and one at a time, you're going to take turns catching me. I want to see if we're able to do it before deciding if I definitely want to include it in the choreography. Alright, let's line up and how about Aaron – you want to go first?"

"Sure," Aaron looked apprehensive. So was Casey. She had never practiced leaps before without very experienced dancers. She knew the guys could lift her, but were they coordinated enough to catch her? Her stomach churned slightly as she popped a CD into the CD player.

"Alright. I'm going to run towards you and jump. You catch me."

Aaron nodded nervously. Surprisingly, he caught her just fine but struggled to lift her upwards. His balance was off and they almost tumbled over. Embarrassment flooded his face and Casey smiled warmly at him, "Don't worry, Aaron. No one gets it perfectly on the first try. This is also a good exercise on trust and on support. Don't worry, if you can't catch me or lift me I am not going to be upset by it or offended. Lifts are difficult, but it's something I hope we can master. Alright, Stephen – you're next!"

Derek cringed when Stephen stepped up. Casey took her running start and jumped. Stephen caught her, but when he tried to lift her, she slipped down – her legs wrapped around his neck. Stephen's eyes were wide and Derek winced.

Casey seemed unaffected as she said calmly, "Alright, just grab me by the waist like you did earlier and lower me down. It's alright. There we go."

Once Casey was lowered with her feet firmly planted on the gym floor, Stephen raised his hands victoriously in the air, "I have seen the promised land!" He shouted.

"Stephen!" Derek barked, "Unless you want eat all your meals through a tube for the rest of your life, I suggest you shut up."

Stephen rolled his eyes and stepped back to the end of the line. Casey blushed tremendously, but kept her cool as she said, "It's quite all right. These things do happen. Dancers have to be comfortable with one another's bodies. Alright Sam, you're next!"

Sam bit his lower lip as he stepped forward. He did better than Stephen and Aaron had – he actually caught Casey and was able to lift her partially before his arms became shaky and he needed to set her down.

"Good job, Sam! See, we're getting there."

Derek was the last up to try to catch and lift Casey. Casey opened her mouth to say something to him, but decided against it. Derek looked pretty freaked out, and she hoped they could just get past this as smoothly as possible. Casey took a deep breath and she thought she saw Derek gulp just before he caught her. Casey gasped, surprised at the reaction she had to his touch and surprised and how successful his catch had been. Now it just came down to the lift. He hoisted her up in the air, holding her there for a few moments. Casey couldn't believe that out of all the guys, Derek was the one who was the most comfortable and the most successful when it came to the lifts. She allowed herself a small smile just before Derek lost his balance and they both went tumbling to the floor.

Somehow, they ended up wrapped up in each other. Casey had bumped her head against the hard floor and Derek had landed funny on his shoulder. They both were wincing and trying to untangle themselves. Neither one had really spoken since Saturday. The past few days, things had been so cold and awkward between them however, as they started to untangle themselves, they both started laughing. When they realized that the other was laughing too, they laughed even more.

"Are they okay?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah," Sam grinned, "They're just fine."

"I can't believe we did that!" Casey wiped a tear from her eye. It was the first time she had laughed that long in a while. Derek shook his head, grinning.

"Hey, I thought I was doing pretty good up until I lost my balance and dropped you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just landed on my shoulder. Might never be able to play hockey again. No biggie," he was grinning as he said it, making Casey laugh again.

"What about you?" He asked.

"Only bumped my head. Probably a concussion. No biggie."

"Well you already have brain damage, what's a little more to spice things up?"

"_I_ have brain damage? At least I can use words that are more than two syllables!"

"Keener."

"Idiot."

"Psycho."

"Psycho?" Casey raised an eyebrow, "You're the only that dropped me so _cruelly_ on the hard floor!"

"Hey, I fell too, Princess," Derek chuckled, standing. He bent down and held out his hand to help Casey up.

She stared at his hand nervously.

"Come on, Case, I don't bite," Derek helped her to her feet. When he pulled her up, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "unless you want me to."

Casey flushed. Clearing her throat, she regained her composure, "That's enough lifting for today. Who wants to see the dance I have put together for us?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Alright, the song we are going to be dancing to is actually going to be sort of a mash up of several different songs. It includes the Tchaikovsky overture with the cannons, Bite to Break Skin by Senses Fail, False Pretense by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Party Music from Nutcracker, and I Want You by Savage Garden."

"We can dance to that?"

"We can dance to anything," Casey answered Tommy, "But I thought these songs would work well together. I was thinking about what to dance to, and something Derek said actually inspired this. We were driving home a while ago and we realized that both my taste in music and his taste in music isn't all that bad. In fact, we kind of liked each other's music more than expected. So I decided to do this mash up of the classic music but then some rock that I thought you guys would appreciate. The songs actually surprisingly work really well together and mesh well. I think it'll be great. What do you think? I want to hear your thoughts."

"Wow, Case," Derek was clearly impressed, "This may just be actually cool."

"It will be. Alright, I'm going to start up the music. Just stand off to the sidelines and I will show you what I have so far. I'll run through the whole dance. Tomorrow, I will divide you all up and teach you your specific parts. My vision for this dance was for me to have a partner as a lead and the rest of you could do more along the lines of backup dancing. You'd each have a specific stand-alone part, but I just was enivisioning it this way."

"Who'd be your partner?" Gavin asked.

"Well, someone who's comfortable with all of this. I'm going to make that decision on Wednesday. I need someone who can confidently and comfortably have a lead role as my dance partner. He also needs to be someone I can trust and work well with. But like I said, I'll decide that Wednesday. Alright, let's get started."

Casey pressed PLAY on the CD player and the music began. The boys nodded their heads to the beat of the music, impressed with the mash up Casey had created. Derek didn't even know that she knew how to do something like that and was quite impressed. The dance at first started out slow and gentle, then picked up when the music did. Casey did several grand jetes, pirouettes, and other moves that the guys all seemed quite impressed with. Derek was watching her, a small smile lifting at the corners of his lips. His arms were folded across his chest and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. There was something about Casey when she danced that Derek always was enamored with.

After Casey finished up, the guys all clapped for her, including Derek.

"Did you like it?" She asked.

"Damn, Casey!" Stephen ogled, "That was something. Who'd have thought your legs could spread so…ow! Derek, man, you have _got_ to stop hitting me!"

"Sorry. It was an accident," Derek smirked before turning his attention to Casey, "Very impressive, McDonald. Not bad at all."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Tomorrow I'll work with you and show you your parts. That's all for today. Have a good practice!"

The guys headed out the door and over to the rink. Derek lingered behind a bit, waiting just outside the door for Casey. After she had gathered her things and was heading out the door, Derek caught her.

"Casey."

"Derek," Casey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Except…the way I've been acting lately."

"Derek…"

"Casey, I was angry at you for how you acted on Saturday, but when it comes down to it, is it really such a big deal? You were just having fun. I know you flirted with the guys just to make me mad and that's what bothered me – the fact that you were only acting that way because you wanted to prove something to me. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am sorry I got so angry. It was pretty uncalled for."

"The way I acted was pretty uncalled for too," Casey admitted, "I don't know what got into me, but that wasn't me. I can have fun and be laid back without flirting with every guy. It just upset me when you said that you can always make a girl fall for you. You made it sound like girls had no say and were completely powerless when it came to you."

"Well they are."

"Derek, don't be a jerk."

"No, it's true Casey. I have to manipulate girls into liking me. I throw them a smirk and act all charming and win them over. I have girls begging me to take them out because apparently I have some sort of reputation. But the thing is, they could all do better than me. I just get them into thinking otherwise."

"Derek, what do you mean by that?"

"Come on, Case. I'm a loser. I know I am. All I have going for me is hockey and if we don't win this championship, I might not even have that. Any girl with a brain would know I'm no good."

"Derek…that…that's bullshit!"

"Whoa, Casey McDonald cursing?"

"It seemed an appropriate time to do so," Casey said defensively, "besides, it is! Derek, you aren't a bad guy at all. You can be a bit obnoxious and sometimes I can't stand you, but I think you're a good guy deep down. I've seen that side of you. You _can_ be a total jerk and a complete moron sometimes and _sure_ you can say things without thinking and you can be immature and sometimes Edwin is more mature than you and _sure_ you _could_ be a bit more hygienic and…"

"Casey, is there a compliment in there somewhere?"

"Yes," Casey smiled softly, "The point I'm trying to make is that despite all of that, you have so many good qualities. You're passionate, you're kind, you stick up for people, you genuinely care about people, you're compassionate, you're loyal, you're trustworthy, you're a good friend and…and I am lucky to have you in my life, Derek. I am sure plenty of girls know that without you having to trick them by being charming. You know what your reputation is in the girls' washroom?"

"Do I want to know?"

"Girls say that you are the best kisser and that you are so hot and that you do this thing where you bite their bottom lips when you kiss…okay! That's not the point!" Casey blushed, "They also say that you are very caring and that you are a very sweet guy. You may not come off as being sweet but when they get to know you, they see how you are. You stick up for people Derek and you try to do the right thing most of the time. You're a good guy, Derek. Why can't you see that?"

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do, Derek."

Derek ran a hand through his hair, "Then you're crazier than I thought."

"Derek, why can't you see that you are a good guy?"

"Because I'm not. I know I manipulate girls into liking me and you really want to know why I got so angry when you were flirting with the guys? It's because I was jealous. I am a jerk. I want what I can't have. I see girls as prizes and I get possessive and weird but then at the same time, I am terrified of being committed to a single person."

"Derek, you're going to be late to practice," Casey said gently, "Look, I know you are a good guy and I know any girl would be lucky to date you. Now, if you want to believe that or not it's up to you; but right now I _really_ want you to get to practice because I don't want coach to make you run laps. Alright?"

"Alright," Derek smiled shyly. He turned to head outside but paused and turned back to Casey, "Case?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Sure thing, Derek."

"And Case?"

"Hmm?"

"You know it wasn't _my_ fault we fell, right? I mean, you're _such_ a klutzilla! I bet just touching you made your klutziness rub off onto me and that's why we fell – so really, it's all because of you. I was just an innocent bystander…"

"Derek!"

"Really though, I should warn whoever you're going to pick to be your partner that he should have no physical contact with you and should stay ten feet away from you at the very least to prevent him from getting hurt or anything. You know, especially before the big game," Derek was grinning as he was walking backwards towards the door.

"Der-ek!"

"You know what we should do?" Derek snapped his fingers, exaggeratedly excited about his suggestion, "Wrap you up in bubble wrap! That way when you do fall, you won't risk hurting other people."

"Derek! You are infuriating!"

"Infuriating, irresistible; tomato, tomotto," Derek shrugged, "And just so you know - if you're curious about finding out if my kissing reputation is really true, you know where I live," Derek smirked, backing out the door and heading off to the ice rink just before Casey could shout -

"_Der-ek!_"


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. This chapter is short, but I felt like I ended it at a good place. Also, it's mostly dialogue but I didn't want to take away from the argument they were having. I hope you enjoy! **

**Chapter Eighteen**

That night, Casey couldn't sleep again. This time though, it wasn't because she and Derek were fighting, but because she couldn't get him out of her head. Her thoughts kept drifting back to what he had said about her finding out if the reputation he had for being a good kisser was true. What had he meant by that? Casey knew Derek had feelings for her – he had made that known – but after their fight, Casey wasn't sure. She also wasn't sure how she felt. It was something that really bothered her and ate away at her thoughts. Casey had always been a very organized person, so when she no longer could fit her feelings under a specific category, it bothered her. She was so confused about Derek. One moment they were fighting as if they hated each other, the next her stomach was filled with butterflies at his touch. She tossed her head back onto her pillow – _stop it, Casey. Just go to bed._

But despite how hard she tried, she just couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking about Derek and the fact that only a thin wall separated them. She thought also back to that list that Derek had told her about, and how one of the rules had been not to give stepsiblings rooms next to each other. It would be so easily for them to sneak over during the night to see each other. Casey ran her teeth along her bottom lip, trying to will that thought out of her head. But it was no use. The thoughts only got worse. Casey was taken back to a time when she was new at Thompson High. She was in the restroom fixing her hair when she had over head a conversation.

_"He's everything that's rumored and more," one of the girls at the sinks was telling another girl, "He is absolutely amazing."_

_ "I hear he does this thing where he bites your bottom lip when you kiss him."_

_ "Oh yes! I swear, Angela, it is the sexiest thing. I've never been kissed the way he kisses. Everything written on the bathroom stalls is completely true. We made out for almost two whole hours! Very sexy!"_

_ "Derek Venturi is something, isn't he?"_

Casey had almost choked on her own saliva when she had heard that. She couldn't believe that girls actually flocked to Derek like they did, but now she was starting to see why. When she was around him, her stomach always filled with butterflies. He had a way of infuriating her and infatuating her at the same time. After another twenty minutes of failed attempts at falling asleep and erasing Derek from her mind, Casey finally worked up the courage to get out of bed and make her way to Derek's bedroom. She raised her fist to the door and knocked twice. Her stomach knotted and she had no idea what she was doing – all she knew was that she needed to figure things out and there was just one way to go about doing it. Just as she was about to run back to her bedroom, Derek swung open his bedroom door.

"Casey? It's one in the morning. Everything okay?" Derek was wearing nothing but plaid boxers and a t-shirt. Seeing him like that made Casey's face flush, but she knew she couldn't back down now.

"No. I mean, yes. I just…I don't know," Casey sighed frustratedly.

Derek squinted at her suspiciously but opened the door wider so she could step inside, "Talk to me," he said, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, it's just that I can't sleep and it's…it's all _your_ fault!" Casey glared at him accusingly.

"Excuse me?" Derek raised an eyebrow, "I'll have you know I was perfectly fine getting my beauty sleep until you so rudely woke me up with your knocking; so please, do explain to me how you not being able to sleep is all my fault."

"Because," Casey answered defensively, "It just is."

"Elaborate."

"Well, it's because of you that I am up all night. You just have this way about crawling into my head and it's like there's no escaping from you. I don't know how to get you off my head and it's really obnoxious Derek so if you'd please stop creeping into my thoughts every five seconds or so, maybe I could get some rest!"

Derek chuckled, "Wait…it's _my_ fault that _you_ can't stop thinking about me?"

"Yes!"

"And what um…kind of thoughts are you having about me?" Derek asked, his interest suddenly peaked.

"That's…that's none of your business!" Casey folded her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Well, seeing as how you're standing here in my room at one in the morning telling me all of this, I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is my business," Derek argued.

"You are just so impossible, you know that? You are the most infuriating person in my life!"

"Glad to know," it was Derek's turn to cross his arms over his chest. Smirking, he said, "The feeling is mutual, Princess."

"See!" Casey whisper-shouted, "That's the sort of thing I am talking about! You are just so infuriating! You with your smrik and your…your everything!"

Derek smirked more, raising an eyebrow, "Case, I think you have officially gone off the deep end."

"And you are the one that pushed me off the diving board!"

Derek snickered, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh at that. He regained his composure and said, "Casey, you're being ridiculous."

"Am I? _You're_ the one constantly sneaking into my thoughts and keeping me up at all hours of the night!"

"Casey, this is stupid. I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. Why don't you just go back to your room and go to sleep?"

"Because I _can't_ sleep, you idiot! If I _could_ sleep I sure as heck wouldn't be in here with _you_ right now!"

Derek raised a bemused eyebrow. He was exhausted, but this was far too entertaining.

"I could sleep if you didn't always interrupt my thoughts!"

"And what do you suggest we do then? Because I would rather not stay up for the rest of the night with you yelling at me."

"Well I certainly don't know! If I _did_ know, I would have suggested it already!"

Derek rolled his eyes, "Casey, I'm going to bed."

"No! You can't! You can't just leave me like this!"

Shrugging, he said, "I don't know what to tell you, Case. I don't know what I can do to help you with this. If I could, believe me I would. I am not exactly enjoying you interrupting my sleep to yell at me."

"I've got it!" Derek could practically see a light bulb go on above her head as she said, "It's perfect! I don't know why I didn't just think of this earlier!"

"What?"

"I know how I can get you off my mind!"

"Please, do enlighten me."

"Well…what I've been thinking about lately is what it would be like to um…to kiss you," Casey turned a shade of beet red and Derek's eyes widened, "And I know it's silly but that's all I've been able to think about lately."

"Okay," Derek said slowly, trying to process what she had just told him, "So what do you suggest we do about that?"

"Well, I think the only logical thing we can do would be to…kiss."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Chapter Nineteen already? Where has the time gone! Anyways, in this chapter is a quote I've used from Breakfast at Tiffany's that I've taken somewhat out of context and made to fit this story. Review and let me know if you recognize what it is! I hope you enjoy this update! **

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Is that so?" Derek quirked an eyebrow. He certainly had not expected that suggestion from Casey, but he was not going to be one to deny her request, "Do you think that would help matters?"

"Oh yes," Casey grew more bold once Derek didn't object, "I think it would."

"And you would be able to go back to your room and go to sleep and _not_ yell at me at one in the morning?" Derek smirked. As amused with the situation as he was, Derek also felt a hint of nervousness take over. He would be kissing Casey soon – something he had always wanted to do. He had never really cared before, but now he suddenly felt self-conscious. What if he messed up somehow?

"Well, there is only one way to figure out?" Casey bit her lower lip, her heart beating a mile a minute. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Where had this sudden boldness come from? Where was her reserve and her logic? She looked up at Derek through a curtain of eye lashes, suddenly shy.

Derek sucked on his teeth for a moment, unable to take his eyes off of her. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming. Surely this wasn't actually happening. The thing he had wanted for so long was finally coming true and he wasn't sure how to react to that. Casey shuffled nervously and Derek finally said, "It should take you exactly four seconds to get from over there to over here," Derek smirked and quirked his eyebrow, "I'll give you two."

Before Derek knew it, Casey was standing in front of him. They were so close that they were practically touching and his breath hitched in his throat. He looked down at her, utterly amazed that all of this was real.

"Say you want me to kiss you," Derek's voice was thick with desperation, "And I will."

"I want you…to kiss me," Casey felt her cheeks flush as Derek grabbed her in his arms and began kissing her. The kiss was unlike anything Casey had anticipated. At first, Derek went slow, placing soft and gentle kisses on her lips. Then, he picked it up a little, and everything suddenly became a battle. Tongues tangled and lips crushed together. Casey felt dizzy as Derek slowly backed them onto the bed. They sat down on the edge of his mattress, and the kissing deepened. Casey felt completely lost inside Derek's kisses. Her head felt as though it were filled with helium and would float away at any moment. She felt flushed and the butterflies were going wild within her stomach. Derek was relentless in his kisses. He had her, and he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. He cupped her face with his hand and caught her lower lip between his teeth, biting and sucking until Casey let out a moan which drove Derek wild.

"Do you know what that does to me?" Derek asked, breathless.

"I have an idea," Casey smirked against his lips.

"You know, I can be pretty selfish sometimes. If I want to hear you moan like that again – and I _do_ want to hear you moan like that again – you're going to," Derek grinned mischievously, "Although, something tells me I don't think you'll mind…much."

His grin widened as he gently pushed her back onto the bed. He was on top of her now, and their kisses became a battle between them to make the other moan. Derek groaned against her kiss when Casey returned one of his lip-bites. She smirked successfully and Derek quirked an eyebrow –

"You think you're going to win this, Princess?" He grabbed her wrists, holding them in place above her head firmly with one hand and continued his assault on her swollen lips. Casey felt completely dizzy. She almost forgot her name and where she was. She had never in her life been kissed like Derek was kissing her. The sudden realization washed over her that she hadn't been pinned to a bed, with a guy on top of her holding her down and kissing her before either. Everything was so new to her but she didn't feel lost for a second. Kissing Derek was absolutely heaven to her. Casey had no idea it would be so much, and if she had, it certainly wouldn't have taken her three years to finally make a move.

The kissing continued until Casey was sure her lips were bruised and swollen with the biting and Derek was desperate to fill his lungs with air. They broke apart, drinking in the air into their lungs. They couldn't pull their eyes off of each other. Derek let go of her wrists and sat up. Casey joined him, sitting cross-legged in front of him on the mattress.

"Your mind at ease, Princess?" Derek asked.

_Hardly. _Casey replied with a shrug, "Not too shabby, Ventu…" she didn't get a chance to finish before Derek had her pinned on the bed again and was shutting her up with more kisses.

"Looks like I'm going to have to try a little harder."

* * *

Derek walked Casey back down the hall to her bedroom, "Do you think you'll be able to get some sleep and not come barging in to bother me again?"

"As if you minded," Casey swatted at his shoulder, "But honestly, I don't know how I am going to be able to sleep after that. My mind is going even crazier now."

"Hey, you're mind being crazy happened _long_ before I came into your life. I take no responsibility for any amount of crazy in your mind."

"Derek," Casey rolled her eyes. They stopped at her bedroom door. She knew she needed to go in and get some rest before school in the morning, but part of her wanted to stay with Derek. She tried to shake that thought from her head, but he certainly didn't help matters by choosing that exact moment to tuck a curl behind her ear.

"Something tells me you'll be able to get some sleep, and that you'll have sweet dreams."

Casey tried to roll her eyes at his quip, but he was right and they both knew it. He had completely head over heels for him and there was nothing either one of them could do about it, "Good night, Derek."

The next morning when Casey woke up, she hurried straight for her mirror to examine the damage from the night with Derek. Her lips were stained a purple tint and there was a purple and yellow blossom dissolving into view on her neck. Casey shivered as she remembered how Derek had kissed her, bit her. She sat down at the vanity and began to get to work. She had no idea where any of this would go, but she knew that these things needed to be hidden. Derek told her that their family would be fine with them being together, but they certainly wouldn't be okay with Casey sneaking into Derek's room at all hours of the night and emerging with hickies on her neck. After applying her makeup, Casey carefully chose her outfit. She chose a pale pink tank top with rhinestones and ruching. She recalled how the first time she had worn it about a month ago, Derek's eyes had widened for a moment before he made a quip about her outfit. He had thought she hadn't noticed. After getting dressed, Casey worked on her hair. She curled it and pinned part of it back in her sparkly silver butterfly clip. After spraying on some perfume, she decided she was presentable enough to head downstairs. Derek was already downstairs nursing a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal. When he saw her, Casey swore she saw a blush form on his cheeks.

"Good morning," Casey chose her tone carefully as Lizzie and Edwin were eating their breakfast right there as well.

"Good morning, Casey," Lizzie piped up, "You look pretty today."

"Thanks, Lizzie," Casey fixed herself her egg white scramble, "Edwin, are you ready for your history test today?"

"No! I don't understand why I have to learn this stuff! I mean, how do they expect me to learn all of this stuff in a week and a half? I think tests should be outlawed. Instead of tests we could all just have a pizza party. I am sure if I could organize the student body, we could…"

"Good luck with that one, Ed," Derek raised the cereal bowl in his hands at his younger brother.

Everyone ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. Soon, it was time to take off for school. Casey headed out to The Prince and waited for Derek who had to run upstairs to toss some gel into his hair. As she slid into the front seat, her stomach churned with nerves. She would be alone with Derek for the first time since they had kissed and it terrified her. She was also terribly confused. She had no idea what her relationship was with Derek; and though she didn't mind the making out, she wanted to be more than just a kiss-buddy. The passenger door swung open, pulling her from her thoughts, and Derek clamored inside. He tossed his bags in the back and Casey's hands tightened on the wheel. They were alone.

"Do you know how good you look today?" Derek asked playfully, "It was all I could do to keep from grabbing you and pinning you up against the kitchen counter…"

"Derek," Casey's grip tightened even more, "Behave."

"Why? We're alone now. No one can hear us."

"Derek, last night was…amazing. _You_ are amazing."

"I am sensing a 'but' somewhere in there."

"It's just…I don't know," Casey sighed, frustrated with the fact that she couldn't say the words she wanted to, "What are we?"

"You're Casey and I'm Derek."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," Casey rolled her eyes.

"I know what you mean," Derek sighed, "Why do you have to label this? Why don't we just take it slow…"

"You never do anything slow," Casey reminded him of his usual mantra, "and last night was far from taking anything slow."

"True," Derek ran his teeth along his bottom lip and Casey felt her stomach do a summersault, "How about we just enjoy this. I don't like labels."

"You don't like commitment," Casey corrected.

"It depends. Yeah, commitment scares me; but I'll have you know, I've wanted you to be mine for three years, Casey. I didn't stop wanting you once those three years. That's the biggest commitment I've ever had to a person. Don't question if I am committed to you. The thing is, I just don't like labels because labels mean having to own up to a title or an expectation. I don't want to stress if I am doing something right or wrong. I just want to be with you."

Casey chewed on his words for a moment before saying, "So I'm Casey and you're Derek."

"Never made a girl forget her name before," Derek smirked mischievously, "I must be better than I thought."

"Shut it," Casey rolled her eyes, but was smiling, "So do we tell our friends we are together or what? Are we together?"

"I am yours, and you are mine. But do you think maybe we could wait to make any sort of big announcements to family and friends until after the championship in four weeks?"

Casey nodded, understandingly, "Sure, Derek."

"Thanks. Oh, pull off here!"

"Derek, this isn't our exit."

"I know. Just do it. Please?"

Casey gave in and did as he said, "You better not make me late," she threatened.

Derek rolled his eyes, "Stop being a keener. Here, park here."

"Derek, this is the park."

"So?"

"So? What are we doing here?"

"You really think you're going to get away with wearing that tank top without me kissing you?"

A chill ran down her spine as she put the car in park and turned to Derek, "I can't be late to French, Derek."

"_French_, you say?" Derek pulled her closer to him so that their lips were practically touching, "Well, if you insist."


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: I know you all are sick of my excuses but here's the flatout truth: my grandfather's health is failing and its scaring me. I admire the man so much and I don't know how to tell him that. I am scared for him and I think he's scared too. He'll die the way he watched his father pass away when he was only five years old. That tears me up inside. Just please keep him in your thoughts. Pray, if that's your thing. Just please be patient with me and know that I am trying. Thank you.**

**Chapter Twenty (Already?)**

Casey spotted Emily at her locker right before class. She knew she didn't have much time before the bell rang, so she hurried up to her and grabbed her arm. Emily gasped and spun around. Seeing the band-aid on Casey's neck, she furrowed her brows in concern.

"Casey, are you okay? I thought you wouldn't make it today - I've never known you to run so late. What's with the band-aid? Are you okay?"

"Do you still have that scarf in your locker, Em? That silky one with the pink and purple paisley?"

"Uh...yeah," Emily started to dig through her locker to find the item Casey had so eagerly requested, "What's going on, Case? Everything alright?"

"Yes...no. I mean...I don't know!" Casey shrugged exasperatedly. Truth was, she was confused, torn, exhausted, an emotional wreck, flushed, and hungry for another kiss from Derek, "Everything is just kind of crazy right now, Em. I can't tell you right now, but I will when I can. Trust me on that."

"Alright," Emily apprehensively handed Casey the scarf. Casey peeled the band-aid from her neck, revealing a Merlot-colored blemish. Emily's eyes widened in shock as Casey tied the scarf in place.

"Casey," Emily stared at her friend as firmly as she could, "Is that what I think it is?"

"I just um...burned myself with my curling iron this morning. The band-aid made it look a lot worse than it is so I wanted to hide it with a scarf. I knew people would think it was a hickey if they saw it. You just proved that," Casey tried her best not to give too much away in her voice; she always was, after all, a bad liar, "So thank you for the scarf, Em. I really appreciate it."

"Sure thing," Emily eyed Casey suspiciously. Something told her there was definitely more to the story than Casey was letting on, and she was determined to get to the bottom of things. _Who would Casey possibly let give her a hickey, _Emily bemused as she watched Casey adjust the scarf a bit more.

"Well, I should be getting to class," Casey shrugged her backpack up on her shoulder, "Thanks again, Emily!"

"Yeah, don't mention it," Emily's brow furrowed deeper as she watched Casey take a step backward. Right when she stepped back, she stepped back into Derek. Emily's eyes widened with interest as she watched the exchange between the two of them.

"Uh...sorry," Casey blushed a furious shade of scarlet.

"Watch it, Spacey!" Derek bit back, but there was something different in his voice and Emily couldn't quite put her finger on it. Whatever it was, this was getting too weird. As if things weren't weird enough, Emily practically choked on her bubble gum at what she saw and heard next.

Derek leaned in close to Casey's ear and hissed, "Nice scarf. What you hiding behind there, Princess?"

Casey's blush deepened and her breath hitched before she answered, "N-nothing that concerns you, Derek."

"Oh, it concerns me," Derek smirked, bumping into her as he headed off down the hallway. Casey cleared her throat and adjusted a curl behind her ear. Emily could tell she was trying to act casual, but she had already seen to much. Emily knew better than to let her imagination get the best of her, so she decided at that moment to spend the rest of the first part of the day with her eye on those two. At lunch, she knew she would have her answers - Casey and Derek were definitely not as sneaky as they thought they were.

* * *

Before lunch, Casey met Emily at her locker. The day had gone just about as she had expected it to so far - she was distracted in almost all of her classes and there was only one person on her mind. Casey couldn't help but think back on the make-out session she and Derek had shared before heading off to school. She wanted nothing more than to have him kiss her like that again and that drove her crazy. She wasn't sure what exactly drove her the craziest - being with Derek in secret and the moments they would share, or when he was doing things like putting glue in her shampoo and spitting in her cereal. Concentrating in her classes was impossible and Casey wanted to mentally slap herself for that. This was the first time a guy had ever gotten to her like this and she had no idea what to do. She wanted nothing more than to go to Emily for advice, but she had made a promise to Derek. Besides, Emily would be too busy squealing with happiness that they had finally gotten together to listen to Casey try to ask her for advice.

"Hey," Emily shoved her backpack in her locker, "Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah," Casey smiled, "I'm famished."

After going through the lunch line, they headed over to the table they shared with Derek and Sam and Ralph. Emily kept her eye on Casey as she walked past Derek to the empty seat on the other side of Sam. Emily noted how she stiffened slightly and how Derek sudden sat very still while she past. Emily took a seat across from Casey next to Sam. She was determined to pay special attention to Casey and Derek during this lunch period.

"Hey," Sam grinned at the girls, "What's up?"

"Not much," Emily said casually as she shoveled some mashed potatoes into her mouth. She turned to Casey to wait for her reply.

"Yeah," Casey shrugged, "Not much. Just a regular, boring, ol' day."

Emily scowled. She made a mental note to teach Casey how to lie better. Sam raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. Derek just stared as if he was trying to find the answer to life inside his meatloaf.

"I saw a really great movie last night," Emily tried, "it was just one of those late-night flicks but it was actually really good."

"What was it about?" Ralph asked, hanging on every word.

"Well these two teenagers start a secret romance and it's about them trying to keep it from their friends and how that doesn't exactly work out."

Derek choked on his orange juice and Casey let out something that sounded like a mix between a yelp and a gasp. Emily smiled to herself, knowing that she was starting to get her answers.

"How did it end?" Sam asked casually, taking a sip of his milk.

"Well of course their friends found out and um..." Emily was starting to flounder a bit.

"Sounds like their friends should have kept out of their business," Derek shrugged, "Maybe they didn't want people to know for good reason."

"Well...um..." Emily was starting to panic a bit. She hadn't thought out this plan entirely.

"I saw a movie the other night," Ralph interjected, much to Emily's relief, "It was about these cats..."

"Ralph," Derek winced.

"What?" Ralph asked, "It was really good. See they live in France and they get cat-napped by this butler and they have to find their way back to the old lady that owns them and they get help from this alley cat and yeah. It was awesome. Cats, man. Aren't they great?"

"The greatest, Ralphie," Sam shook his head good-naturedly, "We should see a movie sometime. I mean, we hang out in school but all of us have never really hung out outside of this lunch table before. How about tonight?"

"Tonight?" Derek raised an eyebrow, "All of us?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean we're all friends, right? I'm not wrong in thinking that, am I?"

"No," Casey smiled warmly at him, "You're not wrong."

"So what do you say? How about we meet at the theater at eight tonight?"

"Sounds good to me," Emily replied.

The vote was unanimous. That night, they would all meet up to see a movie. Casey was both excited to hang out with everyone and nervous at having to keep herself in check around Derek. She had no idea how she was possibly going to do that. After lunch, Sam was headed upstairs when Emily stopped him.

"Hey," she said, "Can we chat a second?"

"Sure," Sam met her down at the base of the steps, "What's up?"

"Derek and Casey."

"You know?"

"Know what exactly?" Emily eyed Sam suspiciously.

"I don't exactly know," Sam mimicked her gazed, "but that's why I suggested the movie. Something is up between those two and I am going to find out what."

"You and me both! Casey totally came to school with a hickey!"

"What?" Sam's eyes widened, "No way! Casey would never let a guy give her a hickey."

"Well, she did. That's why she's wearing a scarf. She made up some lie about burning herself on her curling iron, but I know better."

"A hickey!" Sam shook his head in disbelief, "Do you think they hooked up or something?"

"I don't know," Emily shook her head, "It's crazy. I mean, I always told her they'd be cute together if they could just stop fighting. If they are together, why hide it?"

"Derek is stressed about the big game," Sam suggested, "Maybe he doesn't want it to get out until after then."

"Well I am not just going to sit around and wait 'til then!"

"Me either. This is too weird. Derek was actually upbeat this morning. And you know Derek - he's like a zombie in the mornings."

"I guess we'll find out more tonight."

"We make a good team, Davis."

"Right back at you."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

When Derek sauntered over to The Prince after school, he had a little bit of a pep in his step. He had been waiting for this moment all day and finally here it was. He'd finally get to be alone with Casey again for the first time since that morning and he was more excited than he ever thought he could admit. Casey had him completely wrapped around her finger and he wasn't used to that. He hungered to kiss her and that drove him crazy. It was all he could think about and her passing him in the hallway, her perfume teasing his nostrils was torture. But finally, he would be alone with her and he was certainly going to make up for not getting to kiss her for eight hours. When he got closer to her though, his face fell slightly. She was leaning against The Prince with a scowl on her face. Derek inwardly rolled his eyes. He'd have to be patient, and patience was not high on Derek's list of virtues. Despite it being a short list.

"Derek," Casey practically jumped on him, "What are we going to do?" She hissed anxiously, her eyes wide and the vein in her forehead bulging. Derek was no stranger to Casey's freak-outs. He rolled his eyes and calmly placed his hands on her shoulders as he had done hundreds of times before.

"Casey, breathe, okay."

"Breathe? How do you expect me to breathe in a time like this, Derek? I don't know what to do. What are we going to do? Tell me what to do!"

"Case," Derek chuckled, amused, "You have to breathe. Now then, tell me what this is all about, okay? What spurred this freak-out?"

"What are we going to do about tonight?"

"Tonight?" Derek raised a confused eyebrow.

"Yes, tonight! The movie!"

"Oh, that."

"Yeah, that!"

"What's the big deal?" Derek shrugged, "It's just a movie with Sam, Emily, and Ralph. It'll be fun."

"But...do you know how hard it will be for me to just pretend there's nothing going on? It was hard enough at lunch and all during school but I don't think I can do it tonight. I...I wanted to kiss you all day, Derek."

Derek bit at the smirk that was creeping across his face and tried to chalk the blush on his cheeks up to it being warm outside that afternoon, "Is that so?"

Casey rolled her eyes and pulled away from his touch, "Maybe."

"Look, it was hard for me too, okay," Derek offered, "I am new to this, Case. With other girls, everything was just different. But with you...it's all completely new to me. I had my first girl friend when I was twelve, alright. I haven't felt like this since then. I'm a mess, Case. I feel completely new to this and it's hard on me not being able to just kiss you when I want and hold your hand and put my arm around you. But I just can't until after the championship. I just don't want the distraction of dealing with our family and friends' reactions before the big game."

"I know," Casey nodded, understandingly, "It's just...I have no idea how we are going to get through tonight."

"It'll be fine," Derek tried to sound assuring, "We'll meet them at the theater, get a few concessions, go in and watch a movie. We probably shouldn't sit next to each other anyway, so that should make things easier. And if you want, I can pick a fight or two with you just to make things seem more real."

"That's a good idea," Casey nodded, "Alright. I'll try not to freak out anymore."

"Good. Your freak-outs cut into kissing time," Derek grinned, stepping closer to her, closing the space between them.

"Not here," Casey glanced around the parking lot. Though it was mostly empty by then, she knew it still wasn't safe.

"Right," Derek ducked his head away from her, biting his lip in frustration.

Casey slipped into the car and turned on the radio. Derek slid in next to her and shoved his bags in the back. As they drove off, neither one of them said anything. The tension between them spoke volumes. Casey pulled off at the park and parked in a parking space a ways away from the other cars.

"Not too long though," she warned, "I have a test to study for before we head out tonight."

As they shared a kiss, Derek couldn't help but think on how true it was that being with Casey was different from all the other girls he had been with. He had been known for his kisses and making girls' knees grow weak, but he had never met a girl who could make his own knees grow weak. He had never kissed a girl that made him crazy with each kiss. He had never met a girl who knew just what to do to drive him crazy and would, to her amusement, do so. Casey was the only girl Derek ever kissed who could make him moan and beg for more. She was the only girl who's kisses he hungered for. There was something about her that made Derek's head spin. He was used to being the one who was irresistible, not the one being captivated by the irresistible one. He felt so new to everything and that both excited and confused him. He was both freaked out and head over heels at the same time.

When Casey pulled away from their kiss, Derek couldn't help but pout.

"Oh don't pout," Casey twisted the key in the ignition, "I told you I had to get home soon."

"They should make cherry-chapstick illegal," Derek grumbled as he clicked his seat belt in place.

When they got home, Casey headed up to her room to start studying for her History test. She could barely concentrate and suddenly she felt like Edwin - what was the point of history tests anyway? Couldn't they all just have a pizza party instead? She frowned at the flash cards in her hands. How could she possibly focus on the French Revolution when there was only one person on her mind? Casey mentally slapped herself. She needed to study. Boys never came before school. School was always her first priority. But then again she had never been with a boy like Derek. She collapsed on to her bed, scattering her flash cards around her. Studying seemed impossible.

_What is wrong with me? I have a test tomorrow and I need to study and I am lying here thinking about Derek. How did this happen? I...I never do things like this. Why does he have this effect on me? It's Derek of all people. I used to find him foul and revolting but now...now I am crazy about him. He used to drive me crazy and now I am crazy for him. This...this is unreal. A few weeks ago I never wanted to see him again and now...now I want to make him my dance partner and I want to kiss him every second and I think I am falling seriously in love for him and that's just crazy. Right? I mean people don't just fall in love so fast, do they? Mom and George fell in love pretty fast though. I mean, within a few months, they were married. Okay, maybe not the best example. I mean, they are married! Derek and I are just dating and we really aren't even doing that. We just hook up when we're alone. Oh...oh god! That's not what I want to be, is it? I don't want to be someone to hook up with, but Derek did promise after the championship we'd tell everyone about us. _

_But what if I can't wait that long. I mean, it is four weeks. Can I really handle the sneaking around for four more weeks? If my cherry-chapstick should be illegal, so should his cologne. When did Derek even start wearing cologne anyway? Ugh, he's driving me crazy again. I mean, that's nothing new but this is a different kind of crazy. I don't want to shove his head into the toilet, I want to shove him on to a bed and kiss him senseless and I never...I mean I don't...I am not that kind of person. Or maybe I've just never met the right person to bring out that side of me. Oh my goodness, he's infuriating! I can't handle this. I...I need to study. No more thinking about Derek. Derek? Derek who? Now that's more like it, McDonald. _

Casey was gathering her flash-cards together when her cellphone rang. Sighing, she again put the flash-cards aside and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Casey!"

"Emily. Hey. What's up?"

"Oh not much. Are you excited for the movie tonight?"

"Yeah, just trying to get some studying done first before though."

"Oh, is this a bad time?" Casey could practically see Emily's face fall and she instantly felt bad.

"No, not at all. I needed a break anyway," she looked longingly towards her flash-cards, "So what's up, Em?"

"Just trying to figure out what to wear tonight."

"Why, trying to impress anyone in particular?" Casey raised a suspicious eyebrow. She knew Emily all too well.

"Not particularly. I just don't feel like I have anything to wear!"

"Em, if I know you at all, I know you're currently standing in front of a closet full of clothes, you just can't decide."

"What are you wearing tonight?"

"I haven't thought about it. Maybe just my purple t-shirt and a cardigan or something."

"You looked like a knock-out in that tank top today. Any particular reason why you were wearing that?"

"I just was having a body-positive moment this morning," Casey hoped that would appease Em, "I felt good in it. Thanks for letting me wear the scarf though. I knew people would ask about that burn mark." Casey suddenly winced. Why did she have to bring that up of all things?

"No problem," Emily's tone changed, "You want to wear it again tonight?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all. We wouldn't want people to think Casey McDonald had a hickey."

"Oh hush," Casey tried to laugh Emily's comment off, "I really need to figure out my new curling iron. It's a pain - literally!"

"Must be, considering you've been a pro at curling your hair for years now."

Casey winced again, "Yeah. I just need to practice with it."

"Hey, so I was wondering if I could come over before the movie and we could get ready together and maybe you, me, and Derek could all drive over together? Unless that's some sort of problem?"

"No, no problem at all. Why would it be a problem? Just come over whenever. I'll let Derek know."

"Okay, see you in about an hour?"

"See you then, Em."

As Casey hung up the phone, she inwardly cringed. She had a feeling Emily knew something was up and was using this opportunity to get to the bottom of things. She and Derek would just have to step it up. They couldn't give Emily any reason to think anything was up between them. They had to both be perfectly normal.

Derek was lying on his bed flipping through a magazine when Casey burst through his door. He raised an eyebrow as she shut the door behind her.

"Didn't know I was so irresistible, Princess," Derek grinned.

"Derek, Emily is coming over tonight and is riding with us to the theater. She suspects something is up."

"Oh she does not, Case. You're overreacting."

"Really? This is Emily we're talking about, Derek. After pinning for you, she's decided we'd make a better couple and has basically written almanacs about us in her diary. She knows something is up."

"Alright. So what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Casey smirked, "The plan is we step it up. You and I need to fight and fight big tonight. We need to make it as real as possible. Like you said, fighting is what they think is the norm for us. We just need to step it up though. You can't just pick little fights."

"What are you suggesting?" Derek folded his arms over his chest and raised a curious eyebrow.

"I am saying make us hate each other just for tonight. We need to show her that there's no way we could possibly feel anything but hate for each other. Deal?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Not telling," Casey's smirk grew, "It'll be more realistic if we improvise. What do you say?"

"I say, I think my diabolicalness is wearing off on you."

Casey curtsied before turning to leave.

"What? No kiss?" Derek asked, disappointed.

"Not tonight. I know it will make you frustrated and that frustration will just fuel our fighting tonight."

"Woman, you truly are evil!" Derek stared in shock as Casey smiled, turning to leave.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Emily came over around seven that night. She and Casey hurried upstairs to Casey's room to get ready. Casey was glad that Derek was still hidden behind his bedroom door. She felt confident that they could pull this off tonight, but every now and then, she would get a moment of nervousness. As soon as they were behind Casey's bedroom door, she and Emily began to get ready - hair, makeup, the whole nine yards. Emily also took the opportunity to ask Casey about the scarf she still had around her neck.

"It's hot outside, Casey. Why don't we just touch up that burn with some concealer. No one will be able to tell."

"I don't know, Em," Casey's cheeks flushed nervously, "I just don't want people to ask questions. Derek, Sam, and Ralph will never let me hear the end of it if they think I have a hickey."

"You could just tell them you burned yourself with a curling iron," Emily raised an eyebrow as she swept some light blue eye shadow across Casey's eyelids, "I am sure they would believe you and drop it."

"It'll be fine. I always get cold inside movie theaters anyway, Em. Oh, I have this new lipgloss I want you to try..."

Emily dropped the subject much to Casey's relief. Perhaps earlier she could have just used some concealer but now that one "curling iron burn" had turned into a whole row of them down her neck. She had stared at the purple blemishes in the mirror after dinner that night, wondering how she let that happen in the first place. She'd never have let a guy give her a hickey - much less several, but things were different now with Derek. She felt herself moving fast and she had no idea what to think about that. If it had been any other guy, she would have been angry at herself but with Derek everything felt natural. She wasn't ashamed of what she allowed herself to feel when she was with him. But despite that, there was no way Emily could know about the hickeys. She'd just have to tell Derek to be more gentle next time. Casey inwardly pouted at the thought.

Once they were done with their hair and makeup, they headed next door to Derek's room to let him know they were ready to go. Casey took a deep breath, trying to work up all the courage she could muster before knocking on his bedroom door.

"Are you two finally ready?" Derek hollered through the door before swinging it open and leaning against the door frame. He casually propped his arm against the door frame and smirked. His eyebrow twitched slightly upward at Casey before he turned his attention back to Emily, "I thought we were going to miss the movie with how long you two birds were taking." His eyes paused on Casey for a moment too long before he snapped himself out of it and grabbed the leather jacket off of his bed. Casey's breath hitched in her throat slightly and she repeated her manta of _just stay calm _over and over in her head. This would be harder than she had thought.

"We're off," Derek hollered to George and Nora as they headed down the stairs. George and Nora were sitting on the couch watching some made-for-TV movie.

"Be safe," Nora smiled at the trio.

"Will do," Derek snatched the keys off the hook by the door.

"Derek," George raised an eyebrow, "Casey still drives."

Derek thought about making some comment but decided against it. He tossed the keys at Casey who caught them mid-air.

"We won't be out too late," she promised their parents as they headed out the door. When they got to The Prince, seating became a predicament. Emily and Derek both headed towards the passenger seat. There was a bit of an awkward pause before Derek said -

"Am I really being shafted to the backseat of my own car?"

"Our car," Casey corrected, "And yes, Emily always gets shotgun. Oh, and don't kick the seats while you're back there."

Derek scowled but complied. He slid into the backseat and crossed his arms over his chest as Emily and Casey giggled over what radio station they should listen to. He wished the only problem was being shafted to the backseat of his own car. He wanted to sit next to Casey. It was harder to smell her perfume from the backseat. Derek mentally slapped himself. He was not going to let himself think those kinds of thoughts - not tonight anyway. Tonight, they were not together. Tonight they hated each other. _Make it convincing, Venturi._

"I don't even know what movies are playing this week," Casey commented, finally settling on the pop station, "OW! Der-ek! What did I say about kicking the seats? I swear, Em. It's like he's a four year old."

Emily ducked her head to the side and smiled a shy smile. If Casey and Derek thought they were being convincing, they wee so wrong. Something was up. She dug her cellphone out of her purse and nodded in agreement to Casey's statement, "I think they are showing The Avengers at a discounted price. We could see that if there's a showing."

"Awesome," Derek chimed in.

"Tom Hiddleston," Casey sighed dreamily.

"Excuse me?" Derek raised an eyebrow, "If you're going to oggle at any man in that movie, can you at least pick Robert Downey Jr.?"

"Why, Derek don't tell me you have a man-crush on Robert Downey Jr.?" Emily giggled.

"Shut up, Em," Derek scowled, "Guy's handsome. No one can deny that even if they tried."

"Uh-huh," Emily smiled as she scrolled through the contacts in her phone until she came to Sam's name. She clicked on it and began a new text message: _Headed to theater. There's definitely something up between these two. Also, Derek has a crush on Robert Downey Jr. Just throwin' that out there._

When they got to the theater, Sam and Ralph were already there. Emily and Casey walked over to the ticket booth huddled up together laughing about something as Derek trailed behind.

"Hey," Derek nodded to them. After everyone said hi, they decided on a movie.

"The Avengers special showing starts in twenty minutes. We could see that one," Sam suggested.

Once they had all agreed on a movie, they purchased their tickets and headed inside the theater. Derek briefly thought about purchasing Casey's ticket for her, but he figured that would probably raise a few eyebrows and decided against it.

"I want an Icee," Ralph ran over to the Icee machine, "Blue raspberry!"

"You can have whatever you want, Ralphie," Sam patted his friend on the shoulder, "But don't go crazy."

"Casey, share a large popcorn and Icee with me?" Emily suggested.

"Of course! But only if we can put Milkduds in our popcorn."

"Do we eat it any other way?"

Derek hung back after ordering his large Coke. He ran a hand through his hair as he nibbled the tip of the straw. He couldn't help but watch Casey and Emily order their concessions. She looked so happy. There was something about Casey's smile that always made everything seem right with the world even if just for a second. Derek tried not to stare too long and was thankful when Sam came over.

"So, it's kind of nice being able to hang out, huh?" Sam asked, "I mean, not to sound like a prick or anything, but you're usually off with a girl or something." Sam knew he was testing the waters and hoped Derek would shine some light on the current situation. After getting Emily's text, he knew for sure that something was going on between the two of them, he just wasn't sure what.

"Yeah well...no girls until after the championship, Sammy."

"Makes since," Sam nodded, "But can the self-proclaimed 'D-man' stay away from girls for four weeks?" Sam raised an eyebrow, hoping Derek would bite.

"It's all about the championship, dude," Derek didn't take the bait. Sam sighed, knowing he just needed to drop the subject. Derek wasn't going to budge. He and Emily were just going to have to do some more detective work on their own.

"Well I guess that's cool, bud. I mean, who needs that sort of distraction before the championship, huh?"

"There a girl in your life, Sammy?"

"What? No. No. Not now."

"I saw you and Emily talking in the hallway earlier. Didn't know you two were so close," Derek raised an eyebrow. Sam took a sip of his soda. This was not how he was planning on this conversation going.

"Um..well...we're just friends."

"Right," Derek nodded, "Be careful with her, Sam. I mean, not that I'm trying to butt in or anything but...you know, I just don't want to deal with being kept up all night by Casey being on the phone trying to console Em so just uh...be careful with her."

"Sure thing, man," Sam clapped Derek on the shoulder as Ralph, Emily, and Casey headed over.

"What theater are we in?" Emily asked.

"Number twelve, right there. We're a bit early, but at least we can make fun of the awful previews, right?" Sam suggested.

They headed inside and found seats up high. Surprisingly, they were the only ones in the theater. Seating again became problematic. Derek had to remind himself not to sit next to Casey and instead chose to sit next to Sam and in between Ralph. Emily was next to Sam on the other side and Casey was next to Emily. Derek took another sip of his Coke and reminded himself that he needed to make this thing as realistic was possible. He was certain Sam was getting suspicious and he needed to put to bed any and all suspicions that he might be with Casey. He got his opportunity when a commercial for Rogaine came on the screen.

"Hey, Case, maybe that's what you need. You know, I've been noticing a few bald splotches..."

"Der-ek! Shut up!" Casey leaned across Emily, past Sam, to Derek, "I do not have bald splotches! But if there's an ad for flea medication you might want to check into that."

"Hey, if I have fleas I blame you. They must have come in after you moved in."

"Oh is that so?" Casey leaned forward even more, more so that Emily had to push her off of her.

"That's right," Derek smirked, folding his arms over his chest, "Down girl."

"Derek, you are so infuriating."

"Infuriating? Some would say irresistible. I happen to know for a fact that girls cannot get enough of me."

"What girls?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were done with girls until the championship."

"Well that doesn't mean they aren't done with me, Sammy-boy."

"You're vile," Casey turned her attention to the screen.

"What did we expect?" Emily shrugged, "Inviting these two with us, we were bound to be subjected to some fighting."

"Oh, this is nothing. You should see her when she just gets up in the morning," Derek snickered, "Bad attitude, bad morning breath, bad bedhead...it's like living with a wild beast!"

"Derek! The only beast in our house is you, alright? You're foul."

"Guys," Emily held up a hand, "Just put it on the back burner for a bit. I want to enjoy the movie and I am sure Sam and Ralph do too."

"Yeah guys. This is why we can't take you two anywhere," Sam sighed, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, "As if you go anywhere without me."

Sam rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his bag of gummy worms. Finally the previews started, which quieted down everyone for at least a moment. They still had the theater to themselves as the lights dimmed, and Derek took the opportunity to put his feet up on the chair in front of him.

"People's heads go there, you know," Casey quipped, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"More sanitary than where you have your head, Princess."

"Oh my God!" Casey leaned back over Emily before Emily shoved her off a second time.

"You should keep your sidekick on a leash there, Em..."

"Derek, shut it!" Emily snapped at him, "You're no better. Both of you are behaving like children. This is ridiculous. Can't we enjoy the movie without any fighting? I know you guys can get a long for that long, can't you?"

Casey scowled and folded her arms over her chest. She was pretty impressed with how well they were doing so far. Derek was equally impressed. Fighting with Casey was always fun, and this was exceptionally fun. He liked having a secret that the two of them shared between them. He nibbled on his straw a bit and watched the preview on the screen. Despite how much fun he was having riling her up, he couldn't wait to get her alone later that night. He smirked as he thought of the hickeys behind her scarf. Okay, so maybe he did need to be a bit more careful next time.

"I wanna see that!"

"Dude, it was about talking turkeys," Sam raised an eyebrow at Ralph.

"And? What's your point? You're just jealous because you can't be as awesome as talking turkeys," Ralph quipped adamantly.

"Oh really now?" Sam shook his head, "Bud, you worry me sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Derek chimed in, the three shared a laugh.

Casey munched on her popcorn, reveling in the sound of Derek's laugh. She had never really paid attention to it before, but now all the little things about Derek Venturi, she was starting to notice. Like the sound of his laugh, and the way his eyes creased when he smiled. She shook her head, telling herself she couldn't think like that at the moment. They were trying to be convincing and letting her thoughts wander to the way Derek laughed was not being convincing. She couldn't help but wonder though, if Derek was thinking of her too.

"How many previews are there?" Sam sulked, "I swear, it's like another twenty minutes before the movie actually starts."

"Maybe they'll be more movies with talking poultry!" Ralph grinned.

"If there's another movie with talking poultry, I'll personally buy you a ticket to see it," Sam rolled his eyes.

"I'll be right back," Derek abruptly stood from his seat.

"K, dude."

After Derek left, Casey's thoughts began to wander. She decided to be a bit risky and just go with it.

"I should go to the bathroom before the movie starts, right Em? I mean, I always have to go like half-way through and I don't want to miss any of Tom Hiddleston."

"Uh...sure," Emily's gaze fell to where Derek was making his way down to the bottom of the steps, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Why do girls always go to the bathroom in pairs?" Ralph asked.

"No, I'll just be a moment."

Casey stood from her seat and scurried down the steps. She hoped she hadn't been too suspicious but she couldn't take it much more. She needed to see Derek. This whole thing was killing her and she couldn't last another minute without at least saying something to him that wasn't an angry quip. When she headed out of the theater, she found him leaning against the wall next to the door, his arms folded across his chest and one foot raised against the wall.

"What took you so long," he raised an eyebrow.

"How are we doing in there?" Casey whispered.

"They can't hear us, Case," Derek rolled his eyes, "I think we're doing fine. Maybe step it up a bit more, but as far as I know they shouldn't suspect anything."

"Emily keeps asking about the scarf."

"Use makeup next time."

"Be more careful, _next time_," Casey quipped.

"Fair enough," Derek raised his lip in a smirk, "So, Hiddleston huh?"

"So, Robert Downey Jr., huh?"

"Shut up," Derek shook his head, staring at the ground as a small smile crossed his face.

"I mean, I'm no Robert Downey Jr. How will I _ever_ compete?" Casey grinned. Derek bit his lower lip, trying - and failing - to keep the smile from growing.

"You aren't half bad, Princess."

"Is that so?"

"Hmm. We should probably get in there before they start to wonder. I'll go in first. Wait a bit, then come in."

"Oh, okay."

"What?" Derek raised a brow, "You didn't think sneaking out to meet me would get you a kiss, did you? In case you forgot, no kisses tonight. It'll...what was it again? Oh yes, it'll make you frustrated and that frustration will just fuel our fighting tonight. Isn't that what you said, Princess?"

"Hmph," Casey frowned.

"Oh don't look so pouty," Derek lifted her chin with his index finger, "It's not like I'm not going to make it up to you later tonight," he grinned right before ducking back into the theater. Casey tried to ignore the goosebumps that prickled her skin. _Der-ek!_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

As Casey made her way back inside the theater, the lights were dimming slightly signaling the start of the movie. She slid into her seat and was thankful that the darkness of the theater was masking the blush staining her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her chest and told the butterflies in the pit of her stomach to settle. As the movie began, she shot a look towards Derek, wondering what was going through his head. Was he thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him? _Get it together, Casey. Just enjoy the movie. _But that was easier said than done with Derek sitting just a few seats over. She swore the others could hear her heartbeat despite the loud movie. He always did have a way of getting into her head. Casey sighed and reached over to grab a handful of the popcorn from the bucket on Emily's lap.

"Look Derek, it's your boyfriend," Emily whispered as Robert Downey Jr. came on the screen.

"Shut up!" Derek hissed.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, D," Sam grinned, "You're in supportive company."

"Oh my god! Will you guys just drop it. So I think Robert Downey Jr. is handsome. Big freakin' deal. Casey over here thinks Tom Hiddleston is like a God or something."

"Actually, the character of Loki is a..."

"Guys, we're going to get thrown out!" Ralph complained. Everyone quieted down, at least just for a moment.

"Ralphie, we're the only ones in the theater," Derek reminded him, "If we want to talk, we can. We aren't bothering anyone. Except for Casey..."

"What about me?"

"You bother me," Derek replied simply.

Casey bit down on her lower lip for a moment as the cogs turned in her head, "Oh, I bother you? I'm just trying to watch the movie, Derek. You're the one being annoying."

"Emily started it," Derek pouted.

"Hey, I just simply said..."

"We know what you said, Em," Derek rolled his eyes, "Casey, stop talking. You're interrupting the movie."

"I wasn't even saying anything!"

"Your very presence is obnoxious."

"Oh is that so?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Guys..." Ralph begged, "I just want to watch the movie."

"Ralph's right," Sam interjected, "Let's just watch the movie. Surely you guys can lay off each other for that long,right?"

"You know what? They're right," Casey agreed, "I came here tonight to have a good time with our friends and I think you did too, Derek. So let's just put all fighting aside and enjoy the movie. If you have to, just pretend that I'm not here and I'll do the same in regards to you. We're letting our fighting get in the way of our friends having a good time. So let's just lay off for now, okay?"

"I guess you're right," Derek grumbled, "Sorry guys."

They turned their attention back to the movie screen. A few moments later, Casey did something she never saw herself doing before. She grabbed the drink from the cup holder between her and Emily, stood from her seat, leaned over, and dumped the whole thing right on Derek's lap. Gasps resounded from the group and Derek jumped up, his crotch dripping with icy cold concession.

"Casey, what the hell?" He shouted, his voice echoing through the mostly empty movie theater.

"What? You said I was being obnoxious when I hadn't even done anything so I decided to show what obnoxious really was. Sit down, Derek - you're making a fuss."

"A fuss?" Derek's eyes were practically bulging from his head as his voice climbed louder and louder with each word he sputtered out, "I'm making a fuss? You're the freak over here who psychotically dumped a whole cup of Coke on my lap! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Really, Derek, you're interrupting the movie," Casey clicked her tongue disapprovingly against her teeth.

Derek sputtered some more for a moment, trying to gather the words, "You...you...are unbelievable!"

"I take after the best," Casey shrugged innocently, "Now then, can we please get back to the movie?"

"I cannot believe you just did that," Emily hissed, "What were you thinking?"

"I just wanted to show him what obnoxious really was," Casey shrugged again. Suddenly the realization of her actions dawned on her and she was overcome with mortification. She couldn't believe she had done something so childish. Derek said they needed to step up their fighting but this wasn't how this was supposed to be. Casey's cheeks stung crimson and again, she was grateful for the darkness of the movie theater. Derek was still standing at his seat, his pants dripping with soda.

"Wow..." Ralph shook his head, "You come for the movie and get more entertainment than expected."

"Derek..." Sam tried to sound consoling but no one really knew how to react. Casey felt the nausea kick in. She couldn't believe she had just done that. What had she been thinking?

"Derek..." she attempted an apology. He held up his hand angrily before she could finish her sentence.

"Do not...talk...to me," Derek growled, "I am going to go get cleaned up. Emily, you should really keep her on a leash next time you decide to take her out in public."

Casey felt as though she had been slapped in the face. She wasn't sure if Derek was saying it to egg on the facade they had created or if he was genuinely angry. He had a right to be, and she knew she deserved his harsh words. As he started to head down the steps, holding the crotch of his pants at a distance, Casey turned to Emily -

"I should go apologize."

"I don't think he really wants to talk to you right now, no offence," Sam raised an eyebrow, "I mean, I know you guys fight, but what the heck was that?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking. It was just a spur of the moment thing," Casey felt her cheeks flush even more, "I never meant to..."

"This is why we don't invite you two places," Sam admitted, "I'm sorry, but it's true. You can't put your fighting on the back burner even for a few hours to hang out with friends and have fun. That's really a shame, Casey."

"I'm sorry," Casey felt sick to her stomach.

"I don't think we're the ones you should apologize to," Ralph folded his arms across his chest.

"I know," Casey sighed, "I'll go make this right. After the movie, how about I treat everyone to frozen yogurt. Would that be alright?"

"Well..." Sam thought it over for a second, "Only if I can get those frosted animal crackers in mine."

Casey smiled thankfully at him before scurrying down the steps to find Derek. Nervousness took over. She had no idea how he would react apart from their friends and she hoped she hadn't ruined everything. She knew she needed to make this right both for them and for the sake of their friends. Sam did have a point. They never were invited anywhere together despite having the same friends. Everyone just knew better. They knew they would fight and then no one would have a good time. Casey was determined to change that. She needed to fix this. Casey looked around anxiously after arriving at the male restroom before ducking inside.

Derek was standing at the sink, wiping at his pants with a wad of paper towels. When he noticed her, his eyes widened in surprise.

"You lost, Princess?"

"Derek...I am so sorry! I don't know what got into me back there. It was so stupid and immature and I really regret it! If I could take it back, I would in a..."

"I don't know whether to be pissed off at you, or impressed," Derek interrupted flatly. He still had not looked at her in the eye since she walked in. Casey's stomach did a flip.

"Derek..."

"I mean, it was a bitchy thing to do, Case, but impressive at the same time. You have been around me too long."

Casey's heart fell at the last part of his sentence. She was hoping she hadn't ruined everything, and now she wasn't so sure. She wished Derek would just forgive her and they could move on, but she knew she didn't deserve that. She still couldn't believe she had done something so childish.

"I apologized to our friends too," Casey lowered her eyes to the tile floor, "I told them that I would fix this and we could go on having a good time without any fighting and that I'd treat us all to frozen yogurt after the movie. I know you're probably really, really angry and you have every right to be, but can we just wait until we get home to talk about this? Can we just finish off the night getting along for our friends' sake?"

Derek dabbed at his pants again, but right before he could say anything, the door swung open and a middle-aged balding man walked in. He took one look at Casey and one look at Derek's pants. His eyes widened.

Derek's eyes widened as well, "Um...this isn't what it looks like," he flashed the guy his best I'm-irresistible-smile. It suddenly dawned on Casey how this whole situation appeared - her in the men's restroom with Derek mopping at his pants. Her cheeks flamed red.

"Hey man, whatever," the man held up his hands, "I had a uh...a friend that was a um...quickie too. There's nothing to be ashamed of, man."

"Oh...oh God!" Casey winced and turned away.

Derek's eyes nearly popped from his skull, "Oh no, no no no no! This is not...you...you have the wrong idea."

"I found an online message board," the man continued, "Of course," he cleared his throat, "not for _me_, but for my _friend_. Yeah, my friend. It really helped to know there was a whole community of guys out there that shared the same problem..."

"_Jesus Christ_," Derek ran a hand through his hair, praying that this whole thing would be over soon.

"And you," he turned to Casey who let out a small whimper at the sudden attention, "Try to be patient with him. It's not something he can control and it's important to try to be understanding and patient. This does not mean he loves you less or is any less attracted to you. If anything, see it as a compliment."

Casey smiled tautly and nodded, hoping the man would just go about his business. Unfortunately, that was not the case. He approached Derek and placed a hand on his shoulder. Derek stiffened and looked at the hand that was now touching him without his consent with disdain.

"Stay strong, brother," the man nodded, then suddenly sniffed the air. Derek grimaced, "Wait...that's...that's soda!"

Derek winced and shrugged innocently. The man looked disgusted, "Look, I don't know what kind of sick game you kids are playing, but that's disgusting! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Oh...sir..." Casey tried to say something but Derek held up his hand. At this point, any arguing was useless.

The man headed towards the stalls, shaking his head, "Kids these days! What kind of kinks will they think up next?"

"Oh my God!" Casey hissed, her cheeks flaming red. Derek leaned against the counter and started laughing.

"This _isn't_ funny!" Casey objected, but soon found herself laughing along with him, "It's...it's really not...funny, Derek."

"Then...why...are...you laughing...Princess?" After a few moments, the man came out of his stall and they quickly hushed each other. They stood there at the sink, biting their lips to keep from laughing again as the man washed his hands. Finally he left and they exploded into laughter again.

"You know...there's support groups for guys like you, Derek," Casey sputtered between giggles.

"Just be patient and understanding with me, Casey," Derek laughed. Finally he held out his arm and Casey scurried to his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and shook his head, "This is one to tell the grandkids about."

Casey raised an eyebrow and Derek winced, "On second thought, maybe it's not the best story to share at family dinners."

"Not exactly," Casey smiled, shaking her head, "I still _cannot _believe that just happened."

"Oh, it happened, Princess. Now then," Derek squeezed her in his half-hug, "what were you saying about frozen yogurt?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"They were trying way too hard, it's obvious!"

"Oh, definitely," Sam nodded at what Emily had said, "Do they think we really are going to fall for that? I mean, who dumps a coke on someone like that?"

"That was way too much even for them," Emily picked an ice cube off of Casey's seat, "Who do they think they're kidding? Really, if they want this to be believable, they shouldn't be trying so hard. It's too forced."

"What are we talking about?" Ralph asked, clearly confused.

"Casey and Derek," Sam explained, "Something is up with those two and we are trying to figure out what's going on. They're hiding something. I just know it."

"They're so obvious about it," Emily shook her head, "I thought I taught Casey to be sneakier than this."

"Well they are obviously hiding something," Sam reminded her, "but we still don't know what that is exactly."

"You don't?" Ralph's eyebrows furrowed and both Sam and Emily turned to him in disbelief.

"And you do?" Sam asked, "Sorry, bud, but you really think you know what's going on between Casey and Derek?"

"Well duh!" Ralph rolled his eyes, "It's obvious. Derek and Casey like each other but they don't want to make it public or anything because Derek doesn't want drama before the championship game."

Both Emily and Sam stared at him in disbelief. Emily was the first to say something, "Ralph, what makes you think this?"

"Well it is kind of obvious, isn't it? They totally like each other. And besides, that scarf Casey's wearing? It's hiding hickeys."

"I suspected...but Casey wouldn't let a guy give her a hickey," Emily shook her head, "I do admit I questioned it but there's just no way. Casey is just too...Casey to ever do something like that. I don't know what to think about all of this. Sometimes it seems like they might actually like each other but sometimes it seems like that's a dumb idea. I don't know what to think of all of this, but I am determined to figure it all out. Too much of this both makes sense and doesn't make sense."

"She wouldn't let a guy give her a hickey, but with those two it's always been different," Ralph took a sip of his soda, "They've always had a thing for each other."

"Ralph, that can't be true," Sam bit his lower lip, "How do you explain their behavior all this time? They can't stand each other half the time. They may be struggling with some unresolved stuff right now, but there's no way that they've liked each other for awhile. Sometimes I think there's no way they can like each other now. How do you explain how much they act like they hate each other sometimes then?"

"Facade."

"Facade?" Emily blinked.

"You know what that word means?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It means an act," Ralph shrugged, "I'm not stupid, Sammy. Besides, it's obvious. All this fighting has been a cover for their real feelings that they were too afraid to admit to each other."

"Wow," Sam turned to Emily, "I think Ralphie here has a point."

"I must say," Emily agreed, "I am impressed, Ralph..."

"Oh lookie," Ralph grinned and pointed to the screen, "'Doth mother know, you weareth her drapes!'" Ralph exploded into a fit of giggles, "I love that line!"

Sam and Emily exchanged a look, "Never mine," Sam shook his head.

"He can't possibly be right, can he?" Emily whispered.

"Hahaha - 'Metal man!' I swear, this movie!" Ralph exploded into another fit of laughter. Emily and Sam shook their heads again. There was no way...

Derek and Casey suddenly appeared at the bottom of the steps and Emily and Sam both hushed up. Besides, there was no way Ralph of all people could be right. There had to be something else going on. _I just let my fangirl imagination get the best of me,_ Emily tried to reason, _there's no way there can be anything between them. There has to be something else going on here. Sam and I are going to get to the bottom of this. I mean, there's just no way...I simply was overthinking this. There is no way Casey and Derek like each other...is there? _

Derek and Casey made their way back up the steps and took their seats on the edge of the row their friends' had created so they didn't have to climb over everyone and risk making them even more angry with them.

"Oh look, it's the children," Sam smirked, "Do you think you two can behave now?"

"Yes," Casey blushed, "I am sorry for how I acted..."

"Me too," Derek interrupted, "Both of us were kind of crappy tonight. We're all friends here, there's no reason we can't all hang out together, right Case?"

"Exactly," Casey nodded, "And if you're all still up for it, I will be more than happy to treat us all to frozen yogurt."

"Sounds good to me," Emily smiled, nudging her best friend.

Casey smiled and turned her attention to the screen.

"There's your boyfriend," Derek nudged her as soon as Loki appeared on the screen. Casey blushed slightly and Derek leaned closer to her, "Hey," he whispered in her ear, nudging her. She looked down and realized he had slipped his hand underneath the arm rest between them. It was concealed enough so that their friends wouldn't see. Casey slipped her hand into his.

"Happy first date, Princess," Derek whispered in her ear. Casey didn't know if it was his breath on her skin, the way he said it, or the fact that this was their first date that caused the goose bumps to prickle on her flesh.

* * *

After the movie, they made their way out to the parking lot. Emily and Sam exchanged a look as Casey and Derek played the "bump into each other" flirting game. Ralph raised a knowing eyebrow. At this point, Casey and Derek didn't really care. They still cared, but this was easier than forcing fights. Besides, it wasn't a far stretch from their usual behavior. Once they got to The Prince, Casey told Sam and Ralph to meet them at The Yellow Spoon frozen yogurt shop. They agreed and headed off to find Sam's car. Derek only made one quip as he clamored into the backseat.

"Tell you what," Emily turned to him, "I'll let you ride up front on the way home, if that's alright with the driver?"

"As long as you keep your feet off the dash, I guess I can make an exception to the Emily-always-gets-shotgun rule," Casey smiled at Derek in the rear-view mirror.

"No promises," Derek returned the smile. Casey tucked a curl behind her ear and backed The Prince out of the parking space.

It was nice not to be so uptight about keeping it hidden around their friends. Of course, they both knew that they weren't going to tell anyone about their relationship until after the championship, but it was still nice to be more relaxed about everything. It wasn't worth it to try to force fights that only ended badly for everyone around them. Being friendly was easier and being friendly wasn't that unrealistic. There were times that they had gotten along in the past. Casey smiled as she thought back to the time when they were locked in the bathroom together during the party. Sure, they had fought, but after the fight they had gotten along and it was nice. Maybe that was some sort of sign. She flipped on the radio and tuned into Derek's rock station. He raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed with her decision.

"This is new," Emily remarked.

"Since sharing a car, Derek's exposed me to some pretty awesome music," Casey shrugged nonchalantly, "It's not too shabby."

"Not too shabby," Derek snorted.

"Did you expect me to give you a compliment, Venturi?" Casey glanced at him in the rear-view mirror.

"I know better, Princess," Derek winked at her before turning his attention back out the window.

When they got to The Yellow Spoon, Sam and Ralph were already there. Derek chalked it up to Sam's obsession with speeding. They headed inside and placed their orders and fixed their toppings. Casey upheld her promise and treated everyone. They decided to sit outside and eat their frozen yogurt. Once outside, Derek hopped up on the front of The Prince.

"Derek," Casey complained, "You'll get shoe prints all over the hood!"

"So?" Derek shrugged, "You're missing out," he leaned against the windshield, "Most comfortable seat in the house, Spacey."

Casey sighed and gave in. Sam and Emily were sitting against the windshield of Sam's car, and Ralph was leaning against the front bumper eating his yogurt. Casey had to admit, it was comfortable - and sitting next to Derek wasn't such a bad thing either.

"You know," Sam said, after taking a bite of yogurt, "We should do this more often. Minus the coke on the pants, huh Case?"

"Promise," Casey smiled, "No more dumping sodas on anyone."

"Thank you!" Derek threw a hand up enthusiastically.

"But really," Emily agreed, "We should all hang out again. It's fun."

"Why haven't we done this before?" Ralph asked.

"I don't know," Derek looked to Casey, "I guess we just never thought about it. I mean, I'd never have thought she and I could get along long enough for us to have a good time hanging out. But with an exception to the coke incident, it hasn't been too shabby of a night, huh Case?"

"I think we should do this again definitely."

"So, Casey," Sam cleared his throat, "Have you picked a partner yet? I know you'll make the announcement tomorrow, but I just wanted to know."

"Well...I was thinking...Stephen."

"What?" Derek exclaimed.

"Kidding," Casey patted his shoulder assuredly.

"I bet it's Gavin," Derek rolled his eyes.

"No, actually. I had this crazy idea that I might pick you. But if you're going to keep thinking it'll be other guys, maybe I'll change my mind."

Derek stared at her with wide eyes, "Me?"

"Yeah. We work well together. Tomorrow I'll make the announcement and we can all practice. Also, Coach made a suggestion to me recently and I'm going to run it by you all tomorrow, but he wants to hold a showcase as a fundraiser - you know, parents, friends, etc. come together and pay a small fee to come and watch the dance in the auditorium. The money will go towards new equipment. He wants it in two weeks so it doesn't clash with the championship. I know that's soon, but we can do it."

"Oh, I am so buying tickets to this," Emily grinned, popping a bite of yogurt in her mouth.

"Me?" Derek still couldn't believe he had heard her correctly.

"Well...yeah," Casey shrugged, "Unless you have a problem with it?"

"I couldn't lift you," Derek reminded her.

"Yes you did," Casey corrected, "You lifted me and then we lost our balance. But that's just something we will have to work on. We can do it, I know we can. If...you're willing to do this with me?"

"Don't...do that," Derek rolled his eyes as Casey's eyes lit up.

"Do what?" She asked innocently.

"That thing you do. You know you can get whatever you want when you do that."

"Is that so?" Casey smiled innocently.

"You're impossible, Spacey! Fine, yes. I will do it. I'll be your dance partner."

"Thank you!" Casey's smile grew and she was very tempted to hug him right then and there, but she knew that would be a bit much.

"What were we saying about Ralph not being right?" Sam whispered to Emily.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Oh my goodness! You guys are the best! I am so glad I decided to work on this story again. You all are so wonderful and so kind. I get so excited each time I see a new review. You are the best! I've kind of stepped away from the hockey/ballet storyline just for a moment to focus on Casey and Derek, but don't worry - I have plans for that storyline up my sleeve. It was requested that I do another makeout session. Now then, I am pretty upfront in that I do not do smut or lemons. However, I am perfectly fine with writing boarderline smut in a classy way. So be prepared for it in this chapter. Next chapter, we will get back on track with the championship and hockey practice and dance practice. I am having a blast with this story and you guys make it all the more better for me! I love writing, but you are the ones that really push me and keep me going. I am so lucky to have such amazing readers like you! I love you guys! **

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"How was the movie?" Nora asked as Casey placed the keys on the hook and Derek shut the front door behind them, "You two behave yourselves?"

"Oh Nora, yee of little faith!" Derek shrugged characteristically. His stepmother raised an unamused eyebrow and turned to her daughter.

"It was fun, Mom. We had a really good time, actually. Afterwards we all went out for frozen yogurt. It was nice. But I didn't get much of a chance to look over my History review before the movie so I am going to head upstairs and look over it some before bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Mom. 'Night, Derek."

Nora wished her daughter sweet dreams just before Derek made his exit, "Well...I guess I'll go hit the hay then," Derek shrugged, "Night, Nora."

"Good night, Derek."

As soon as he got upstairs, he made a bee-line towards Casey's room. His hand paused on the door knob for a moment before he swung the door open. Casey was standing at her vanity, unwrapping the scarf from around her neck. Derek closed the door behind him and watched her for a moment as she ran her fingertips along the purple marks. Maybe she was right, maybe he should be more careful. But kissing Casey was so new to him. He'd kissed hundreds - well, maybe not hundreds - of girls in the past and but with Casey it was like he was clueless and new to everything. He wanted so badly to pin her against the wall and kiss her, making her moan again, but he knew better. _Patience, young grasshopper, _Derek reminded himself, running a hand through his hair as he approached Casey.

"Hello there," she smiled at his reflection in the mirror, "I was just about to put my pajamas on."

"I'm right on time then," Derek grinned mischievously.

"Pig," Casey good-naturedly rolled her eyes at the comment, "Turn around."

"You're kidding, right?" Derek raised an eyebrow, "I've walked in on you changing before. And I've walked in on you in the shower. I've seen everything already, Case."

"That's comforting," Casey rolled her eyes again, "Now then, I said turn around," Casey clutched her pajamas to her chest as she turned and glared at Derek, no-nonsense eyebrow raised.

Derek sighed, "Yes ma'am," he complied and turned around allowing her privacy to change. His heart skipped a beat as he thought of Casey standing less than a few feet away from him, naked. He gulped and hoped she couldn't hear how loudly his heart was banging against his chest. _C'mon, Derek, breathe. You've seen Kendra without her shirt on. Sure she still had a bra on but still...this isn't anything too new for you. But it is Casey. But you've already seen Casey naked before. But this is different. _Derek wiped at the sweat that had formed on his forehead and prayed she'd finish up quickly. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Finally, Casey cleared her throat.

"You can turn around now," she informed him. Derek slowly turned, as if unsure, despite her permission, that he was allowed to. Casey had changed into something new that Derek had never seen before. Gone were her usual flannel pajamas. Instead, she was wearing a pink silk nightgown. It was long, to her ankles, but cut deep down the chest revealing more than Derek was expecting. The nightgown had bits of black lace around the neckline, drawing his attention even more to her cleavage. The sheer fabric wasn't concealing much either. Immediately, his hand flew to the back of his neck as he titled his head to the side. That was definitely not what he had been expecting. _Where the hell did she get that? _

"That's new," Derek somehow managed to get out despite the breath that had snagged in his lungs.

Casey blushed and turned around slowly so he could see the whole effect of the nightgown, "Not really. I've had it for awhile. I just never had an occasion to wear it."

"Occasion?" Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Derek," Casey rolled her eyes, "Not like that. We just got together. Or whatever you'd call this. Consider this me modeling it for you for future reference."

"Future reference?"

"Maybe. Jury's still out but you never know. So did you have a good time tonight?" She turned back to her vanity and began to comb out her curls with the cruelty-free, faux turtle comb Lizzie had given her for Christmas. Derek sat down on the edge of her bed and watched as she meticulously untangled each curl until her chestnut hair fell in super soft curls down her shoulders.

"Yeah. We should definitely do it again. Who knows, maybe Em and Sam will get it together sometime and we can double date. We'd have to find someone for Ralph though..."

"Sam and Emily?" Casey gasped, turning away from her mirror with a look of utter shock on her face, "No way!"

"It could happen," Derek shrugged, "Now then, are you going to stand there and brush your hair all night or come over here?"

Casey's hand stopped mid-comb and she softly set the comb back down on the table of her vanity. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the way Derek spoke to her. She tried to swallow the nerves, only exciting the butterflies in her stomach even more. Slowly, she made her way over to her bed. Derek tugged at the metal string on her lamp until the light dimmed. He laid back on her bed and said again, in that voice that caused Casey to suddenly lose all balance in her legs, "Get over here."

She laid down next to him, sure that he could hear the thud of her heart against her chest cavity. _It's Derek. Stop being so nervous. It's just Derek. It's Derek..._the butterflies picked up the pace of their flapping in her stomach. Derek reached his hand around and held her neck against his palm. He shook his head and said, "I really should be more careful. It'll be suspicious if you wear a scarf every day."

"Hey," Casey bit her lower lip, "One or two can be covered with concealer and foundation. But all of these? Don't necessarily be careful," Casey blushed, "Just...not so many."

"Good to know you aren't asking me to go easy on you, McDonald," Derek grinned, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Casey was certain her cheeks were beet-red, but if they were, Derek didn't let on. He smiled down at her and Casey realized for the first time just how many colors were in his eyes. There was a look in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. It was soft, but burning. She knew he could feel her pulse quicken under his palm.

"You want me to kiss you right now, huh?" Derek smirked as Casey nodded, "Well, all you have to do is say the word, Princess."

"Kiss...me," Casey said in spite of holding her breath. Derek's smirk turned into a grin.

"You don't have to ask me twice."

Casey was caught off-guard. Derek knew just what to do to take her breath away and make her dizzy. She was completely lost in the kiss. Derek didn't go easy on her at all, and kept up his usual pace of soft, sweet kisses mixed with bites and nips here in there. When Casey moaned, he felt his whole world rock. There was something so wonderful about being able to have that effect on her. After a few moments, Derek broke away from the kiss and stared down at the girl in his arms.

"What is it?" Casey asked, self-consciously.

"Nothing," Derek shook his head, bothering his lower lip between his teeth, "Just thinking."

"About?"

"About how this still doesn't feel real. Casey, since you moved in I've been fighting with myself about my feelings towards you. I just can't believe that after all of this time, this is real. I know I've been with other girls and all, but with you it's all different and I want you to know that. I know it's cheesy and stupid but it's like you're the first girl I've kissed and I...I don't want to kiss anyone else after you."

Casey felt her heart pick up its pace a bit once again and she said, "I know, Derek. It's fast but I feel the same. I don't understand this and I'd never move so quickly with anyone else before, but with you you're different."

"Maybe that's because for the past few years, we've been together in one way or another," Derek suggested, "We might not have gotten along much, but I was always there for you."

"Same," Casey nodded, "And maybe that's why this works so well - because we're already so comfortable together. I mean, you've seen me at my best and at my worst. And I've seen you at your best and at your worst. We've been through a lot, Derek. It feels like...we've been together for a long time. And I don't mean that negatively at all. I just mean that..."

"I know what you mean," Derek tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I can't wait for this championship to be behind us. Do you know how hard it was to not kiss you tonight?"

"How hard?" Casey smiled mischievously.

"Let's just say it took a lot of will power not to," Derek grinned down at her, "Don't you have a history test to study for?"

"Oh no," Casey winced, "I completely forgot! I don't want you to go though."

"I know," Derek tucked another strand of hair behind her ear, "but if you get anything less than a B plus on this test, you're going to blame me. So I'm outta here."

"But Der-ek," Casey pouted. She knew he was right though. She needed to study and having him stay any later would only further distract her. He needed to go back to his own room and she needed to get started on looking over her review.

"Nope. I'm not going to be the one who gets blamed and thrown in the dog house if you don't do so hot on your test," he gave her one last kiss before pushing himself up off the bed, "Besides, I am overdue to read Marti a bedtime story anyway."

Casey followed him to the door and they paused, "Derek, you're wonderful."

"A compliment?" Derek raised a bemused eyebrow as he ran his finger along the black lace along her neckline, "You're just full of surprises tonight, aren't you, McDonald."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Casey was pulling her hair up into a bun as the hockey team filed into the gym. She sighed, and tried to calm the nerves that were bubbling inside of her. She had made her decision to make Derek her partner. She had discussed the dance showcase she had in mind with Coach Samuels who was completely on board. He liked the idea of the fundraiser, and knew as well as she did that the school would pay good money to come watch the hockey team do ballet. Now, all that was left was to teach the team their choreography, work with Derek, make posters, and order several reels of paper tickets from the teacher supply store. She popped in the CD of music they would dance to and turned to face the team.

"I've made my decision of who is going to be my dance partner. I gave it a lot of thought and the person I chose, I knew had to be someone whom I greatly trusted, as well as someone who works well with me. We've had our spats, but I feel like Derek Venturi will be perfect for my partner."

Some of the guys turned and stared at Derek who's eyes looked as though they were about to burst through their sockets. He didn't know if he had heard her right. This wasn't exactly helping them keep their relationship underwraps, but he trusted she knew what she was doing. Still, he had to ask, "Are...are you sure?"

"Yes," Casey nodded confidently, "I am. Now then, I am going to show you the dance we will be doing to the music. Coach has agreed to let me go through with my idea to do a showcase the week before the championship. We will sell tickets to earn some money for your team...it'll be great. I hope lots of people will come, and I want you to be in tip-top shape for the audience. And, to prove to Coach that I was successful in teaching you guys discipline and teamwork. The dance isn't too hard, but you have to keep up in time to the music. Don't get distracted by the music, but let it sort of guide you through the steps. Alright, I'll demonstrate."

The hockey team moved back a bit, allowing Casey some more room to perform her dance. She clicked on the music, and began. Her steps were simple. She hadn't wanted to overcomplicate things for the hockey team. After all, she'd be happy if they could pirouette without sending someone to the emergency room. After the dance was complete, she stopped in front of the team and raised an eyebrow.

"I toned down the steps a bit to make it easier. Derek and I will have the difficult part, but I am sure you guys will be able to handle the choreography I put together for you. Now then, lets go over the steps one by one several times together. Derek, you and I can practice on our own time. You helped me a lot with that competition and I think you'll surprise yourself this time too. For now, I want to get these guys memorizing their steps and comfortable with the choreography."

"Works for me," Derek shrugged, "Uh...what should I do while you're teaching them their dance moves?"

"My purse is on the bleachers. I have some cash in there. Take that, and go get us some Slushies. I think after our hard work, we'll need a reward."

Derek was all too pleased to go get Slushies instead of running through the dance movies; though he knew Casey would have him work hard that evening back at the house. After he left with Casey's cash, she began to show the rest of the team their dance moves. She made sure to go slowly and go through step by step. Surprisingly enough, they caught on very quickly.

"Good job!" Casey lit up with pride, "You all are doing amazingly well!"

"Did you doubt us?" Sam asked, raising a teasing eyebrow.

"Of course not," Casey smiled in response, "I am just very proud of you all. I think this showcase is going to be great."

"Are you coming with us to Lakebrook for the game tomorrow night?" Stephen asked.

Casey had almost forgotten about the hockey game. She had been so caught up in things with Derek, and wondered if he was prepared or just as flustered as she was at the thought of the game. She couldn't believe she had forgotten.

"I would like to," she explained.

"Hey," Sam volunteered, "the three of us could carpool if you want."

"Sure," Casey nodded, still feeling flustered, "Uh...guys. I have a question and I am afraid it's a bit dumb, but I don't know much about hockey. I thought you were set to go to the championship game. But there's still tomorrow night's game before then. What if..."

"We lose?" Aaron finished for her.

"Coach doesn't want us to talk about that option," Tommy explained, "And neither does Derek. He'd be furious if he knew we were talking with you about it."

"But it is a legitimate concern," Casey explained, "I'm sorry to bring it up, and maybe I shouldn't have, it's just...Derek and Coach seem so sure you all are going to the championship. I want you guys to go and win so badly, but I don't know how my nerves will be at tomorrow's game."

"Tomorrow decides if we go to the championship or not," Gavin explained, running a hand through his hair, "It all rides on tomorrow night. Hasn't Derek been a nervous wreck?"

"Yeah," Sam piped in, "Usually the few days before a big game like this, Derek is really on edge. I should have warned you," Sam winced, "He can be quite miserable to be around when his nerves get worked up. Not that he'd want me blabbing all of this, but he really does turn into a mess before a big game."

"Actually, he's been pretty calm. Well, for Derek anyway."

"Weird," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, he seemed alright at the movie. Hmm. Maybe he's finally learning not to turn into a complete and utter douche when he gets stressed out."

"Hey!" Derek appeared in the doorway of the gym, holding two cardboard cupholders, "What was that, Sammy?"

"Uh...nothing," Sam back-peddled, "We were just talking..."

"Uh-huh. It's not called being stressed out, Sammy. It's called being pissed off when I don't think you all are prepared for a big game. Which, for the looks of how you're talking about your captain, I don't think you are. Tomorrow decides if we go to the championship. There'll be scouts there, guys. Scouts! You need to take this seriously, alright? And you're not."

"D-man," Sam's face fell, "I"m really sorry..."

"Nope. Call the captain a complete and utter douche, and you get to run laps."

"Seriously?" Sam raised an eyebrow. He knew he probably shouldn't have said that about Derek. After all, not only was Derek the team captain, but his best friend. He had crossed a line with what he had said. Besides, just as expected, Derek was wound up before the game and Sam knew he was just letting off some steam. Still, he wasn't at all pleased with the prospect of having to run laps on Derek's orders.

"Do I look like I'm kidding? Case, you done with them for the day?"

"Yeah," she blushed, not really enjoying being a part of the current scene playing out in front of her.

"Good. No one gets Slushies until you do three laps around the track. Now go! Move it!" Derek barked. Casey followed him as he headed out to the track, trailing after his teammates.

"Three laps?"

Derek smirked, setting the Slushies down on the outdoor bleachers, "Hey, Coach will make them do five to seven laps if they disrespect him. I'm going easy on them."

"I didn't know you actually had the power to make them run laps," Casey folded her arms across her chest as she watched the team run their laps.

"Yeah, it's a perk of being team captain. I don't always do it unless I have to though. I mean, I know Sam was just kidding and what he did say about me was true. But tomorrow's a big game. You've a bit of a...distraction, Casey. I haven't had much time to think about tomorrow's game which is bad. We can't lose focus or treat this like a joke. This is a huge game. It decides so much, Case. And I'm just as bad as they are for not taking it as seriously as I should."

"I'm sorry I've been a distraction," Casey lowered eyes.

"Don't be," Derek shrugged, "I haven't had my head in the game. You're my priority, Case. But I need to focus on hockey too these next few weeks. I'm sorry. It's just...I have a lot riding on this championship. So do a lot of these guys. Half the team needs scholarships for college to even be a concept to them. They need this and I'm not going to let anything ruin that for them. Maybe I should focus more on the game, practice. Just until I have that championship ring on my finger, then we can go back to how we were. Only...public this time."

"I'd like that," Casey nodded, understandingly.

"Watch the Slushies for me," Derek said as he headed towards the track.

"Where are you going?" Casey asked.

"To run my laps too," Derek answered before running off to catch up to Sam.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The night of the showcase, Casey was a complete wreck. She hadn't eaten anything all day, knowing her stomach was too queasy to keep any sort of food down. Instead, she had had a Coke to calm the nerves in her stomach. The auditorium was all set up for the audience to come, and Casey knew it'd be a full house. They had sold over eight hundred tickets between the faculty and staff; no one wanted to miss a chance to see the hockey team dance. Right before they started, she leaned against the wall backstage, clutching her stomach. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She and Derek had practiced their dance every day and so had the rest of the hockey team. Everyone had their moves memorized and were ready to go. She knew they would be great, but there was still that part of her that was so nervous that she felt on the verge of collapse. She clutched her stomach and tried to calm herself down.

"You okay?" Derek asked, nudging her gently. He knew she was nervous. If Casey got nervous anything like how he did before a big game, he knew she was in trouble. She nodded, forcing a smile. Derek wasn't buying it though, "It'll be fine, Case. Everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing. Trust us."

"I do," Casey cleared her throat and adjusted her curls. Derek smirked - she always was adjusting her curls. He pulled her hand down from her hair and said -

"You look great, Case."

"Thank you," She blushed. Derek always had a way of making her feel at ease and even more nervous at the same time.

Coach Samules clapped Derek on the shoulder as he made his way out on stage to introduce their dance. Casey felt her heart flutter, knowing that any moment now he would announce her name, and she would go out on stage to say a few words. She took a deep breath and tried to force her head to stop spinning. Telling herself over and over again that everything would be fine, Casey worked up her nerve to go out on stage. Derek was right. They had practiced, and everyone was prepared. She just needed to trust and have faith. That's how they had won their game and locked in their spot for the championship, by trusting and having faith that they would. Casey reminded herself of that as Coach Samuels said her name and she made her way out on the stage.

Take the microphone from him, she said, "Thank you Coach Samuels," she turned her attention to the audience, "Thank you all for coming out tonight. I know you bought tickets to come see the hockey team dance thinking that it will be hilarious; but let me just say this - these guys have worked so hard with me these past few weeks. When Coach asked me to teach them ballet, I wasn't sure. They were...kind of a mess," Casey chuckled, "but with some time, and lots of practice, I've whipped them into shape and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you see here tonight. Thank you for coming."

She made her way to the CD player and popped in the CD she had made. The hockey team filed out on stage and took their positions. The audience laughed as they stood in first position. Casey walked back over to Derek just as the music started. The songs she had coordinated filled the auditorium and she and Derek began their dance. She focused solely on his eyes and her steps. For a moment, they were the only two people on the stage. Derek smiled down at her and Casey blushed, forcing herself to look away. He wasn't doing this right now, she told herself; but he was - in front of the whole crowd, he was teasing her and he knew exactly what he was doing. She pulled her attention off of Derek briefly and to the rest of the hockey team. There were a few slips here and there, but mostly they were doing very well. Casey knew it shouldn't be a surprise, but she was taken back by how well they were dancing.

The second song played, then the next. It was time for their big leap, and Casey felt her stomach churn again. She quickly reminded herself that this was Derek, and they had done this leap hundreds of times in their living room. He caught her every time. There was no need to be uneasy. They both knew what they were doing. They both knew how to time each other just right. Casey took a deep breath. For a moment, time stopped. It was as if everything was frozen but them. Derek caught her and for a moment, Casey thought of how perfect everything was. Then it all ended. The moment stopped with a stumble and a fall. Casey found herself painfully in a heap on the stage floor. The audience took a single breath and held it as the hockey team hurried over to their team captain, clutching his ankle. Casey froze. It was as if this wasn't happening. Surely this couldn't be happening. She scooted over to Derek who was hissing strings of curse words, still holding his ankle.

Coach Samuels hurried on stage and bent down to talk to Derek. Casey could barely hear their exchange. Everything felt like it was in a fog. She felt lost.

"Guys," Coach instructed, "This isn't good. Help me get him up. Casey, go get your family and tell them to pull the car around back. We've got to get him to the hospital."

Casey was frozen in place, and Coach barked, "Now!"

Casey quickly snapped out of it and hurried off the stage. Their family was sitting on the front row, and were wearing looks of fright. Casey explained to George what Coach Samuels had told her. He nodded and together, he and Nora went to get the van. Casey hurried back behind the stage to where Coach and Sam were holding Derek up. He was wincing with each step he took, muttering curse words along the way.

"Mom and George are getting the van," Casey explained.

"Good," Coach nodded, "I've seen falls like this before. Your leg just sort of gives out on you and all the weight goes to that one foot," Casey winced, Derek had his weight plus hers crushing down on him, "I don't know if it's broken, or what; but we need to get him checked out by a doctor."

Once the van was pulled around back, the younger siblings sat in the back, allowing Casey and Derek to sit in the middle section of the van. Casey slid in first, and watched as Sam and Coach Samuels eased Derek inside. The pain was evident on his face, and Casey felt sick to her stomach. Once Derek was in, his leg propped up across the seat, Coach Samuels said, before shutting the van door -

"Where are you taking him?"

"Mercy. It's closest," George answered.

"I'll get this finished up and then I'll meet you over there."

The van sped down the highway and Casey couldn't even look at Derek. She felt as though this was all her fault. If they hadn't done this stupid dance, he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

From the back, Edwin asked, "So, how does this affect you playing in the championship."

"God, Edwin!" Lizzie snapped, "Are you that dumb?"

"What?" Edwin sounded hurt, "It was just a question."

"No, it was a dumb question," Lizzie corrected him.

"Guys," Nora interrupted, "Stop it. We are taking him to the hospital and they'll run some x-rays. We'll get some answers then. This might just be a bad sprain. We don't want to jump to conclusions just yet. Besides, Derek is in a lot of pain and you shouldn't worry him with questions like that."

Derek grimaced, "It's okay, Nora. Ed was just asking what we all want to know."

No one else said anything after that. Finally, when they got to the hospital, Casey and George helped Derek hobble inside. Once inside, they got him seated and George went up to do some paperwork. Derek winced as Casey helped him prop his leg up on the chair across from his.

"I am so sorry, Derek. I don't know what happened back there, but I feel like this is all my fault."

Derek forced a smile, "Case, people fall during dances all the time. Hell, people fall during hockey all the time. Sometimes it's just a bad fall. That doesn't mean it's anyone's fault."

Casey tried to believe him, but she couldn't shake the thought from her mind that this was all because of her and her stupid dance. After a few minutes, Coach Samules and Sam arrived in the waiting room. It took over an hour for Derek to be called back to the room prepared for him. A nurse helped him in and out of a wheel chair, and got him situated on the hospital bed. He let out a yelp of pain during the transfer. Casey felt physically sick.

Nora excused herself to the hallway to tell Coach, Sam, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marty to wait out in the waiting room, and that they'd come let them know as soon as they heard something. George set on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid Derek's foot. Casey and Nora took the two plastic chairs. No one said anything, and the silence was driving Casey crazy. She could tell it was making Derek crazy too. They both hated awkward silences. She tried desperately to think up something to say. A thought came to her, but she didn't say it at first. Would it cross a line? Would it make him angry? Casey had no idea what to do in this situation. Was Derek angry to bite off someone's head? She took a deep breath and smiling, said -

"Hey, I am the only one who owns the title of Kutzilla, Mister. Don't take my title."

George and Nora glanced at each other. Why was Casey baiting him? This was a serious matter and Derek was clearly not in the mood to deal with any banter.

Surprisingly, Derek smirked, "Wouldn't dream of it, Princess."


End file.
